With an eye out for signs of beauty and hope, these two photos were taken next to church in the past week. Thank you, Mike Willock. 

   A poem by Ellie Stock in the season for  Women's History Month. To Earth's (Our/My) Sisters--   Who ~ bravely dance their daily paces, shine extraordinary light on ordinary places, where others faint or fear to tread, where laughter is born and tears are shed.   Who ~ steadfast, courageously with bolding care encourage unheard voices to dare, to share-- whose own struggling and vulnerability forge the way for new beginnings and brighter days;   Who ~ spirited, passionate, seized by wonder endure times and worlds so torn asunder-- Daughters of the Universe, Mothers of Earth, Midwives of Vision contracting to birth;   Who ~ Friend of the forgotten, Madonna of the Trail league so the beleaguered cannot fail-- builder of community, hub of life, Heart of compassion, mind of delight;   Who ~ creative, innovative, for justice, for peace, no shrinking violet: advocate for the least-- doormat for none, s...

Nancy Quigley writes: In these times of wars, horrendous earthquakes, gun violence, political division and mental health challenges, it’s sometimes good to find a word of encouragement. Recently, I read an article written by Peter Baker about Michael Gerson.*  It is a good article, describing a complicated person with an eloquent Republican voice, who longed for “compassionate conservatism”, advancing liberal goals with conservative means. Gerson, who died recently, struggled with depression. In 2019, he preached a sermon in which he said he was “stalked by sadness.”  But he went on to say the following, which helped me remember once again what is essential. “Many, understandably, pray for a strength they do not posses. But God’s promise is somewhat different: That even when strength fails, there is perseverance. And even when perseverance fails, there is hope. And even when hope fails, there is love. And love never fails.”   * The article was in the New York Times ...

A reflection by Mike Willock  Micah 6:8 (NRSV) God has told you, O mortal, what is good,     and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness     and to walk humbly with your God? To begin the Sacred Space for Children part of the worship service on January 29, pastor Travis tried to engage the children with the Micah 6:8 preaching text. He strutted in front of them with his chest puffed out and his head thrown back to contrast a self-absorbed and prideful stride with how we should walk humbly with God. Since then, I’ve been reflecting on that very familiar scripture. There are three action verbs – “do,” “love,” and “walk,” but we usually connect only the last of the three with the words that follow – “with your God.” I think that misses an important point. I think a better reading would be Do justice with your God, and Love kindness with your God, and Walk humbly with your God. When we separate t...

It’s just an old dog dish. Our dogs are long gone. We leave it on the patio as a rain gauge and for birds and squirrels to drink. But this morning the overnight snowfall and the warming day combined for a moment to create a joyful work of art, one that could not be sculpted by human hands. God left us a greeting card this morning. It will soon be gone. Beauty is all around us if we take the time to look. God is good. All the time.  - photo and text by Mike Willock

  (photo and caption by Mike Willock)

This talk was given in a recent chaplaincy assembly by Dr. Andrew Davies, a colleague of mine at St. Louis Priory School. Andrew has a background in astrophysics and he uses this knowledge to underpin his talk which encouraged students to think about what their guiding light is. This talk was so powerful that I thought it deserved a greater audience beyond those in the school community. Thank you for agree it share it, Andrew. (Tim Woodcock) When I was a college student, I gave shows in the school planetarium to the public, talking about what was visible in the night sky that evening.  This season of Advent, I am often reminded of the most popular question I got when I gave planetarium shows in December: “What exactly was the Star of Bethlehem?” This question has two answers: a short one and a long one. The short answer: we don’t know. Boring, but truthful. But, since my students know the best way to distract me in class is to get me talking about Astronomy, I’m going to give you...