Weekly Newsletter
PNews 5/12/22
Spurring Each Other On As we emerge from a pandemic that kept us apart, we are finding that being together inspires us to reach higher, to be stronger, to enjoy more fully our calling. And this is precisely what happens …
PNews 5/5/22
Celebration! In this week’s newsletter, Ralph and Brian talk about the importance of celebration in the life of the church and reflect on how we mark milestones in our lives. read more >>> 2022 Worship and Music Conference The Presbyterian …
PNews 4/28/22
Everywhere and Always Yes, Jesus is with us wherever we gather in his name, and wherever we partake of his body and blood at his table. But Jesus always turns us back out to the world where he is truly …
PNews 4/21/2022
Two-Handed Theology The world is suffering. Christ is risen! Both are true. Taken together, they constitute our hope and our mission. Easter invites us to two-handed theology: Bible and newspaper together; might and tenderness together; suffering and comfort together; grief …
PNews 4/14/22
Were You There? Where are we on the night we call Maundy Thursday, in the story of salvation that Scripture unfolds to us scene by scene? A beloved African-American spiritual gets to this by asking, “Were you there when they …
PNews 4/7/22
A Time to Weep As he entered Jerusalem, Jesus began to weep, even as the crowd’s acclamations for his triumphal entry were still ringing in the air. Jesus’ anguish was not that they rejected his words or actions, but that …
PNews 3/31/2022
The Church’s True Beauty Jesus’ road to Calvary underscores that having everything look pristine and work in good order is not his highest priority; indeed, we know all too well the ugliness that can be found in the church. Yet …
PNews 3/24/22
The Divine Discount According to Scripture, God chooses to discount our shortcomings – and we are called to do the same with each other. If we cannot demonstrate reconciliation in how we live with each other, we have no credibility …
PNews 3/17/2022
Hope Hope. It’s one of the defining terms of the New Testament and yet hope can be frustrating when what you hoped for, doesn’t happen. Across the last two years, leaders have seen their hopes dashed as wave upon wave …
PNews 3/10/22
One, and Only One Jesus’ promise is that the coming of the Spirit upon the church will help unite his followers, even as he and the Father are one. The church’s visible unity is a public manifestation of what God …
PNews 3/2/22
Holy? Really? The word “holy” is widely misunderstood. Holiness is about belonging. When we confess the holiness of the church, we affirm that it belongs to the Lord, and to the Lord alone. Do we honor the church’s holiness in …
PNews 2/24/22
When One Suffers The most important political gift the church can offer the world is for it to be true to its identity as the Body of Christ. In the church, not only are all members equally welcome; all are …
PNews 2/17/22
We Are Catholic “Catholic” was not coined by nor is it a trademark of the Roman Catholic church. It derives from the ancient Greek katholou, which means literally “according to the whole.” When we say we are catholic, we are …
PNews 2/10/2022
Telling Our Story Fully The apostolic church continues the commission Jesus gave to his apostles: “You shall be my witnesses.” Witnesses are story-tellers. They tell the story of what they have seen and experienced. The church must hear and tell …
PNews 2/3/2022
Bedrock Church Jesus is clear about what will make credible his followers’ claim to be his disciples. They will be publicly recognized as his disciples by how they love each other. In a post-pandemic church that has lost much in …