Author Archives: Sheldon
Choosing Hope
January 21, 2021 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, January 21, 2021 Yesterday we witnessed the inauguration of a new American President and Vice-President. Many of the circumstances attending their assumption of office carry forward …
The Vulnerability of Truth
January 14, 2021 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, January 14, 2021 Truthfulness matters. One of the Great Ends of the Church is “Preservation of the Truth.” (Book of Order F-1.0304) In one sense this …
Day by Day
January 7, 2021 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, January 7, 2021 Happy New Year! Many people consider the dawn of a New Year as the perfect opportunity to make big life changes. My daughter …
The Light of the World
December 17, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, December 17, 2020 Advent is nothing if not the season of lights. Our Jewish siblings call Hannukah their “Festival of Lights.” Celebrants of Kwanzaa similarly light …
Bracing for What’s to Come
December 10, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, December 10, 2020 Bracing for What’s to Come[i] All we can do is wait. For how long? Nobody knows. From the thick of our broken world-as-we-have-it …
By Shout and By Whisper
December 3, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, December 3, 2020 The lectionary for the Second Sunday of Advent includes a remarkable passage from 2 Peter. It likens the coming of the Lord to …
Out with the Old! In with the New!
November 19, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, November 12, 2020 Perhaps from this title a reader would expect that I am addressing the stalled presidential transition. But I am referring first of all …
When the Vote Doesn’t Go Our Way
November 12, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, November 12, 2020 Four years ago, half of our country was overjoyed at the presidential election outcome, while the other half reeled in dismay. In those …
Ordinary Christianity in Extraordinary Times
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, November 5, 2020 Charles Dickens famously begins his Tale of Two Cities, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Today we …
Honoring the Image
October 22, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, October 22, 2020 My father passed away last Friday, October 16. His obituary is published at https://www.musmannofh.com/listings. Rather than trying to prepare a new weekly article …
On Earth as in Heaven?
October 15, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, October 15, 2020 “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) It is the bedrock of God’s self-revelation to Moses. (Exodus 34:6-8) It is the core message of …
Seven Months In – The Church’s Response Today to the COVID-19 Pandemic
October 8, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, October 8, 2020 Last weekend brought the COVID-19 pandemic into new limelight, as the President became ill with COVID, and many in his inner circle were …
Litany for Reformation Sunday – in response to the COVID pandemic
October 5, 2020 | Posted in COVID-19 Resources
Litany for Reformation Sunday, October 25, 2020 (This is also available HERE as a Word document for printing). This litany is based on the resolution adopted by the 224th General Assembly: On Responding to the Covid-19 Pandemic. The resolution calls …
The Difference Jesus Makes in a Polarized World
October 1, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, October 1, 2020 What difference does it make to follow Jesus? As a child I was taught (whether intentionally or not): “It’ll save you from going …
The COVID Squeeze
September 24, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, September 24, 2020 (This letter is an expanded version of the cover letter for the September 24, 2020 Pittsburgh Presbytery Meeting Packet.) This week’s presbytery meeting …