by Robert McCracken | Sermons
This morning we welcomed and thank The Rev. Scott Harris to our pulpit. Scott is a retired Lutheran pastor and last served as Senior Pastor at St. John’s Lutheran, Stamford. Besides serving in parishes in Wisconsin and Long Island, Scott and his wife, Karen, lived in...
by Robert McCracken | Sermons
Leviticus 19:33 Acts 28:1-6 I Corinthians 14:11 Hebrews 13:2 Shipwrecked on the Island of Malta; A Meditation on Donkeys, Solar Farms and Human Kindness The Aegean Sea is a magnificent body of water. In warmer weather the sun light shimmers off of an azure...
by Robert McCracken | Sermons
Psalm 66: 1-12 Sirach 37: 22-24 Acts 17:24-28 “Wi, Mwen Kapab!” (Yes, I Can!): Reflections from Haiti Two weeks ago, we returned from another incredible trip to Haiti, where we launched our summer camp program for youth, and we celebrated our first graduation of...
by Robert McCracken | Sermons
Exodus 20:8,11 Matthew 11:28-30, Mark 6: 30-32. Sabbath Blossoms Folks driving by our church on Friday morning probably wondered what we were giving away! The lines snaking around the block before the White Elephant Sale opened at 9:00 am rivaled the Broadway ticket...
by Robert McCracken | Sermons
Mark 4:35-41 The Gospel According to Green Grass: Crossing to the Other Side [Dan Renn offertory prayer] Reflections follow by Laura, Stephanie Kenny, Lee Whitaker, Jen Hall and Nancy Mol. conclusion by Laura. Laura We’ve barely unpacked from our trip out to the...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Texts: Matthew 25: 1-13; John 21: 1-14 “Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning” You may or may not see it. You may not notice it Sunday by Sunday. But every time we gather in this space, a small flame burns just below the pulpit for the duration of our...
by Robert McCracken | Sermons
This morning we welcomed and were honored to have Zahir Manan participate in our worship service. (Offering the Call to Prayer). Zahir is the Imam of the House of Peace Mosque in Meriden, Connecticut. He is also the Chaplain for the Meriden Fire Department. We are...
by Robert McCracken | Sermons
This morning we welcomed Mazin Qumsiyeh, former Yale Professor, now a distinguished professor at Bethlehem University and founder of the Palestine Museum of Natural History. Mazin has been a mentor to Tree of Life from its inception and is an honored member of our...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Texts: Isaiah 58: 9b-12; Psalm 55:8; I Corinthians 13: 1-13 “Gimme Shelter” I begin this morning with two extra-canonical pieces of Scripture. The first is a gorgeous speech from Shakespeare’s King Lear. Lear has lost nearly everything – his throne, his...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Texts: Genesis 1: 26-31; Romans 14: 1-12 Death and Dignity: On Life’s Great Decisions Several weeks ago, a story in the New York Times caught my attention. It had to do with an Australian scientist named David Goodall, who had flown to Switzerland in...
by Robert McCracken | Sermons
Matthew 5:1-12a Blessed are You: Commencement Edition Last Sunday, my family and I sat in the fog and rain for hours at my godson Ian’s college graduation. Covered in clear plastic ponchos, we sat through the ceremonial procession of graduates, the ho hum...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Text: Acts 2: 1-21 The Gifts and Challenges of Pentecost In addition to being Children’s Sunday, in addition to being New Members Sunday, today is also, for those of you who pay attention to such things, Pentecost Sunday. My comments this morning will be...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Texts: Matthew 3: 13-17; Matthew 13: 44-45; 2 Corinthians 4: 5-7 Becoming the Beloved A passage from the New Testament that we need to return to often is found in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. We have this treasure, Paul writes, and indeed, I can think of...
by Robert McCracken | Sermons
O POOREST COUNTRY, THIS IS NOT YOUR NAME: REFLECTIONS ON HAITI Click below to listen to the audio recording. The sermon was opened by Laura, followed by reflections of three SPF members: Claudia Petrie, Garrett Smith and Brynn McGlinchey. (No text is available for...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Texts: I Corinthians 12: 12-26; Romans 8: 31-39 Becoming a Family For One Another: Some Words of Appreciation for Jeff Miller Steve Jungkeit I’d like to divide this time of reflection into three sections. I’ll open with a brief word, and I’ll close as...
