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By THE REV. DAVID JONES

I’ve been re-reading “The Prophetic Imagination,” a classic by biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann. In it he talks about the prophetic ministry of churches as being the result of two essential ingredients.The first ingredient is that a church must...

By PASTOR BRETT REITENBACH

History is filled with the rise and fall of governments. Some leaders stay in place for many years, but even those who stay in power a long time must eventually depart. In recent weeks, major leadership changes have happened in various parts of the world. Here in the United States, we are just two days away from Inauguration Day which will see our 47th president enter the office. Despite America’s political divisions and trying times throughout its history, the relative stability and consistency of elections and transfers of power for more than 230 years is remarkable.

By THE REV. JASON A. BURNS

It always amazes me at how quickly the joy and excitement of the Christmas season subsides. I suspect it is because the joy of Christmas does not come from the virgin birth, from shepherds in their fields, from kings following a star, or from angels singing with the heavenly hosts. It isn’t about the beautiful decorations, the gorgeous music, the happiness of seeing and being with family, or watching our children open gifts from Santa. All of these wonderful things are byproducts of the fact that God lives among us.

By THE REV. CANDI ASHENDEN

As the holiday glow fades and January settles in, the humdrum of daily life returns. The decorations are boxed up, the festive meals are a memory, and the calendar flips back to workdays, school schedules, and to-do lists. For many, this transition...

By THE REV. DR. CHRIS DAVIES

Mary, the mother of Jesus, was radical — a prophet, even, in a world that offered little hope for an unwed pregnant teenager.For many Christians, Sunday, Dec. 22 is the Fourth Sunday of Advent — the day that symbolizes love — wherein Mary’s song of...

By PASTOR BENJIMAN DURFEE

During the last two months of the year, we’re usually overwhelmed with messages to be jolly, we’re expected to show up for events with cheerful smiles, and we’re constantly surrounded by the joyous sounds of the holiday season. And while this is a...

By THE REV. JULIE G. OLMSTED

I have watched and listened over the past several years, as public discourse and the language used by elected officials and their followers has steadily slipped into a kind of exchange that once would have never been allowed to see the light of day....

By THE REV. ALLEN M. COMSTOCK

Because faith matters, we need to ask ourselves whether, in this time of political stress, our faith has gotten swallowed up in our politics. If so, we need to rescue our faith from our politics so that maybe our faith might come to the rescue of our...

By HETTY STARTUP

Have you, like me, noticed a spate of large, at least twice-human-sized skeletons appearing around the Valley in time for Halloween this year? They sure are creepy and quite threatening even if they are completely fake. As signifiers of our mortality,...

By THE REV. HEATHER J. BLAIS

Recently, we took our oldest child on a tour of my alma mater, Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Our oldest has always navigated life with an insatiable curiosity and desire to know more. I was eager for them to have a taste of the...

By THE REV. RANDOLPH CALVO

Today is Oct. 5. Election Day is Nov. 5.A recent survey found that 90% of Americans can name a recent news event that made them angry while only 50% could name something that made them proud. This is a worrisome comparison of numbers as we approach...

By THE REV. ALISON CORNISH

When a message runs through the whole of scripture, it’s worth taking notice. The ancient imperative of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures — to welcome the stranger — is one of note for its insistence, its timelessness, and timeliness, too.First...

By THE REV. CINDY LAJOY

Have you ever judged yourself for not being “spiritual enough?” And what does that even mean? Today in America we often find people speaking more about their spiritual journeys than their faith or religious journeys, and for many that is a much better...

By THE REV. JIMMY PICKETT

I have on my right arm a tattoo that reminds me every day why I serve as a priest in the Episcopal Church.I grew up in Leicester and spent nearly every weekend at my Great Grandmother’s house, an old red farmhouse with a big barn and a large field...

By THE REV. JULIE G. OLMSTED

Recently, I saw a video featuring a performer named Rhiannon Giddens. The video was called “Another Wasted Life,” and featured a group of exonerated prisoners through an organization you may have heard of: The Innocence Project. I looked it up...

By THE REV. SHAUN O’CONNOR

Like a flame my hope is burning,May my song arise to You:Source of Life that has no ending,On life’s path I trust in youRefrain from the Hymn of the Jubilee 2025When Jesus begins his ministry at the synagogue in Nazareth, he reads from the scroll of...

By THE REV. DR. CANDI ASHENDEN

Before heading to South Korea in August to visit my son who teaches there, I did a little research into the religions of South Korea and was intrigued by what I learned. I discovered that South Korea, a vibrant country with a rich cultural tapestry,...

By THE REV. DR. MEGAN E. LEARY

For my birthday last year my husband and sons gave me a bird feeder with a camera attached.The camera has a motion sensor that is activated when birds land to feed and then captures video of them eating. I have become enchanted with watching the...

By THE REV. MICK COMSTOCK

I came to Heath in the summer of 1970, just out of seminary, as pastor of the Heath Union Evangelical Church and the Rowe Community Church. It didn’t take me long to learn that the pastorate was no longer a bully pulpit but was still a bully...

By THE REV. ALISON CORNISH

One of the greatest joys in my 20 years of ministry has been getting to meet, learn from, worship with, and befriend those who identify as religiously different from how I name myself — a Unitarian Universalist. First on Long Island, then in...

By THE REV. VICKI IX

I have added my coming out to the list of miracles in my life — the glimpses of the resurrection I have been granted in this life. I count this moment as a blessing and pray for those who have not yet been able to say the words out loud.More...