by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Text: Luke 2: 1-20 The Exuberant Pluralism of Christmas[1] After returning from Mexico last month, I shared with you that rituals have come to play an important role in my understanding of the world. I told you about the Day of the Dead ceremony that...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Texts: Isaiah 60: 1-5a; Matthew 2: 1-10 Can You Still See the Star? Here are a few lines from “The Journey of the Magi,” T. S. Eliot’s poem about the night passage of the wise men, as they follow an elusive star toward the manger in Bethlehem: A cold coming we had of...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Texts: Isaiah 40: 1-5; Luke 1: 26-37 Mary, Gabriel, and the Blessings of Confusion[1] Most every morning, I get up early, and when it’s still dark, I leave the parsonage and begin running. As soon as it’s light enough to see, I step onto the forest trail...
by Robert McCracken | Sermons
Matthew 1:18-25 You May Say I’m a Dreamer: Learning to Walk in the Dark Followed by Simon Holt playing John Lennon’s IMAGINE on the organ “Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way…” (Matthew 1:18-) Who doesn’t love a good birth story? My...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Texts: I Peter 3: 8-16a Accounting for the Hope that I Feel (Even in Foreboding Times) “Always be ready to give an account for the hope that lives inside of you…” -I Peter 3 I had intended to offer something upon the theme of...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Texts: Luke 6: 20-26; Hebrews 12: 1 Fortunate Are You, When Your Heart Becomes Porous Click the arrow below to listen. Might take a few seconds to download. “Fortunate are you who are poor; the kingdom of God is yours. Fortunate are you who are hungry now, for...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Texts: Exodus 1: 12-14, 22 – 2-10 A River of Humanity, and a Basket of Pitch [Following Steve’s sermon is a beautiful rendition of the hymn “Shall We Gather at the River” Sung by Brian Cheney] Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every boy that is...
by Robert McCracken | Sermons
Psalm 85:10-13, Luke 15: 11-32 Unfinished Stories: Open Doors and the Ways of Homecoming Click the arrow below to listen. Might take a few seconds to download… Last Sunday afternoon, I walked through the galleries of The...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Texts: Isaiah 53: 1-4a; I Corinthians 1: 28 On Marigolds, Blue Eyes, and Beauty Unheeded A book is a pathway of marigold petals. In Mexico, on the Day of the Dead, marigold petals are placed on the ground to help the departed to find their way back to the land of the...
by Robert McCracken | Sermons
This morning we were pleased to welcome the following guests to the pulpit: Ghoufran Allababidi – President of the Tree of Life Educational Fund (audio only) Cindy Corrie – mother of Rachael Corrie who was killed in Gaza in 2003 while defending a...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Texts: Exodus 19: 1-6; Isaiah 40: 3; Luke 4: 1-14 Whatever Happened to Solitude: Wilderness, the Divine, and the Invitation to Digital Minimalism It might be that the most powerful wisdom we gain in life comes from our encounters with wilderness. ...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
We’re pleased to have Joseph Kazadi assisting with the sermon this morning. Joseph and his family (Martine, Maryam, Drysile, and Joe) emigrated from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2016, and have been living in Old Lyme since 2018. Their story is featured in...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
THIS WAS STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY AND ALLISON HINE AND TOM GRANT PRESENTED PERSONAL TESTIMONIALS DURING THE SERVICE PRIOR TO THE SERMON. Allison Hine – This Church is a Compass Being part of this Church community is invaluable to my family and our success in navigating the...
by Robert McCracken | Sermons
It was a pleasure to welcome Father Jacques de Foiard-Brown to the pulpit this morning. Jacques comes to us from the island of Mauritius off the coast of southern Africa, where he has lived in a hermitage for almost forty years, while serving the communities that...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Texts: Luke 17: 11-19; Colossians 3: 15-17 A Theology of Resentment, and A Theology of Gratitude Ten were healed. One came back. Ten were afforded the opportunity to resume their lives. One returned to give thanks. Ten were given an unimaginable gift. Only one saw fit...
