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My daughters have been working on their Christmas lists. In the past few years these lists have become increasingly organized, decorated, and displayed so that there is no disguising the facts: This is about Christmas and these are the things I want. Every once in a while, the lists catch me off guard with something unexpected, and at other times I’m enlisted to support the process (“Dad, how do you…
What do a ladybug, a pumpkin, a werewolf, a Roman soldier, and a fairy have in common? Well, thanks to Westminster's coordination team, especially Danika Lagorio and Marilyn Rubino, they were first time trick-or-treaters in the days before Halloween. We know some of you met the parents and children at the Fall Festival, so you can probably guess the children looked even cuter in their costumes. …
All children love Christmas! The magic of the holidays – the decorations, getting together with family and friends, parties, presents, and of course Santa. Our WECEP children are no exception, and December is full of fun activities. But for us, the “real” reason for celebrating is because it’s Jesus’ birthday. And how does one celebrate a birthday – with a party! Every December we have a Happy Birthday Je…
After sharing Bible stories with children, one of my favorite ways to engage with the story is through wondering questions. Wondering questions don’t always have answers and aren’t really questions, but invitations to engage with scripture. I wonder what animal God created first… I wonder what manna tasted like… I wonder what the rocky soil could be… I wonder what part of the story was most important…
In the middle of October I saw the first Christmas tree in a retail store and smiled. No longer is there waiting for Christmas. In the church season, Advent invites us to wait and prepare our hearts for the Lord. We hear that the angel Gabriel came to Mary saying, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” Mary learned she would become a mother, and the child was the long-awaited Messiah for…
The season of Advent invites us to renew our wonder at the mystery of Christ’s incarnation and to renew our commitment to Christ’s presence in our hearts and in our actions. One way to embrace this season of preparation is to think of Christ coming three times: past, present, and future. He came in the flesh as a baby; now, he comes spiritually to enter each of our hearts; at the end of times, he …
In the Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall of 2022, Westminster’s Outreach Commission has planted seeds of faith with the congregation to share God’s love with others. Here are a few highlights from 2022. Winter On February 6 a Racial Wealth Gap Simulation, presented by Westminster’s Peace and Justice Team, made us aware of how to live with justice for all of God’s people. The Sunday afternoon event w…
You may have noticed that my normal column in the Spire is titled “Between Here and There.” It’s just a small nod to the paths of life we walk in our shared and unique corners of the Kingdom. There’s lots of life between where we are and where we are headed! But, for these few paragraphs I’m going to set my focus a bit more precisely. I’d like to consider “Here.” Westminster. You likely know that I routinel…
