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August 30, 2020 Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Matthew 18:18-20 Rev. Kristen J. Kleiman   Recently, I came across this quote, “The nomad spirit of modernity has dashed the integrity of community – but not the need for it.” (Harold Beekser, Patches of Godlight: Father Tim’s Favorite... Read More →

August 23, 2020 Psalm 104:1-13, Psalm 8 Genesis 1: 11, 20, 24-25 Rev. Kristen J. Kleiman   You may have heard of ADD, Attention Deficit Disorder. Have you ever heard of NDD though? While not a formal medical diagnosis, NDD, Nature Deficit Disorder, is used to describe the... Read More →

August 16, 2020 Ezekial 37:1-14 Romans 5:5 Rev. Kristen J. Kleiman   “You’ll get through this. It won’t be painless. It won’t be quick, but God will use this mess for good. In the meantime, don’t be foolish or naïve, but don’t despair either. With God’s help, you will get... Read More →

August 9, 2020 Confirmation Sunday 2 Timothy 1:5-7 Rev. Kristen J. Kleiman   Back in the wintertime, when this Confirmation group began their last unit in a two year Confirmation journey, I joked that we liked them too much to let them go, that we were just going to keep... Read More →

August 2, 2020 Psalm 100 & 150 2 Chronicles 5:11-14 Rev. Kristen J. Kleiman   Music has many wonderful benefits that science has discovered. We don’t need science though to tell us that music is comforting, that music is inspiring, that music can calm our hearts and lift... Read More →

July 26, 2020 John 1:1-5 Isaiah 9:2-7 Rev. Kristen J. Kleiman   Ambiguous loss. It’s a term psychologist Pauline Boss identified to name losses that don’t have a resolution. At first, the term was used for the grief that comes with a loved one being there but not there, like... Read More →

There was a time when I would read the 23rd psalm at a memorial service, and people would say it along with me. That rarely happens anymore. These days when I mention the 23rd psalm while planning someone’s memorial service, I often receive a blank stare from their family.   I go... Read More →

July 12, 2020 Esther 2:5-11, 15-18, 4:1-17 Rev. Kristen Kleiman   In the classic Disney movies from the 1940’s and 50’s, the heroine was always a beautiful, meek, young woman who showed her loving heart by singing to animals and being kind to all, winning the prince with her... Read More →

July 5, 2020 Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Rev. Kristen J. Kleiman When some people say, “You need to come to Jesus”, what they really mean is “You need to fix your behavior.” In a previous ministry life, I had a “come to Jesus” moment with an entire youth group who had behaved... Read More →

June 28, 2020 Matthew 10:40-42 Rev. Kristen J. Kleiman   Over fifteen years ago, the First Congregational Church community began a process the United Church of Christ calls Open and Affirming. The process was designed to help local congregations discern how God was calling... Read More →