Preparing for Worship - Brianna Childs, pastoral resident.  The rhythm of the church calendar continues for us this morning. Breathe in. Breathe out. We take the next step in the ancient cycle into Epiphany. Throughout Scripture, we receive stories of epiphany in...

Preparing for Worship - Doug Haney, associate pastor.   Today is the first Sunday of Christmas or Christmastide, meaning we continue to revel in the season of Christmas just a bit longer. (The song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” hints at this tradition even...

Preparing for Worship - Gina Biddle. I have memories of reading today’s Gospel reading, John 1:1-14, as a child in Detroit. Someone gave me a small white Gideon Bible, and this verse inspired me repeatedly. My family did not attend church, but this verse was important...

Preparing for Worship - John Kelly, pastoral resident.   “And Mary remained with [Elizabeth] about three months and then returned to her home” (Luke 1:56 NRSV). At this point in Luke’s Gospel, not even two chapters into the action, so much has already unfolded...

Preparing for worship - Heather Mustain, associate pastor. Today is the third Sunday of Advent, the day we light the pink candle in our Advent wreath. Pink, or rose, is the liturgical color that symbolizes joy, and this Sunday is more formally known as “Gaudate”...

Preparing for Worship - Brianna Childs, pastoral resident. In the Ithaka Sunday School class last week we talked about liminal spaces in our lives. As we continue in this season of Advent, there is much to reflect upon as we wait. Richard Rohr describes these liminal...

Preparing for Worship - LeAnn Hampton.  Today (November 27) is the first Sunday of Advent, a time of preparation and waiting for the birth of Jesus. Waiting is difficult for most of us; in fact, I’ve never known anyone who lists waiting as a personality strength. We...

Preparing for Worship - Heather Mustain, associate pastor.   Today ends Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, a national campaign to draw attention to the problem and prevalence of hunger and homelessness in America. In partnership with Housing Forward and...

Preparing for Worship - Gina Biddle.   “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” which we sing today in worship, initially was a poem written by Thomas O. Chisholm in 1923 about God’s faithfulness over his lifetime. The lyrics reference Lamentations 3:22-23. I witnessed the...

Preparing for Worship - Doug Haney, associate pastor. Our Granny Haney lived in a small brick home around the corner from our house situated at the end of a dead-end street in Alpharetta, Georgia. To get to her house my siblings and I cut across the garden that...