Saying that Christmas looks a bit different this year is an understatement. If you joined us for worship last night, we gathered in our sanctuary wearing masks, of course, unable to sing treasured Christmas hymns. Thank goodness for our choir director Diane Bellissimo, our organist Richard Harvey, and our choir members who sang a host of […]
Dr. John Tamilio III © 2020, Dr. Tamilio Each week, the Lectionary typically offers four readings: one from the Gospels, one from the New Testament Epistles, one from the Old Testament, and one from the Book of Psalms. Sometimes, there are other options, but, by and large, this is how the Revised Common Lectionary is […]
Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor © 2020, Dr. Tamilio Finally! We have a Gospel Lesson that seems to fit Advent and the theme of the day: joy. Phew! Thank goodness! We are not reading about the end of the world or John the Baptist preparing the way. This reading is part of the whole nativity […]
The Rev. Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor © 2020, Dr. Tamilio The Gospel of Mark has no account of the Nativity, yet it opens, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Mark then goes straight into his account of Jesus’ baptism. That was the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, […]
Below is an article that was written by Dr. John and was published in the December 2020 issue of the NACCC ~ The Congregationalist. NACCC ~ Racism in America
The Rev. Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor © 2020, Dr. Tamilio Why is it that mainline Christians shy away from talk about the end times? By mainline Christians I mean churches that are part of denominations whose names you usually hear spoken: Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopal, and, yes, Congregationalist. We embrace our theological history, all […]
The Rev. Dr. John Tamilio III 2020, Dr. Tamilio In his 1656 journal Of Plymouth Plantation, Gov. William Bradford wrote the following: In these hard and difficult beginnings they found some discontents and murmurings arise amongst some, and mutinous speeches and carriages in other; but they were soon quelled and overcome by the wisdom, patience, […]
Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor © 2020, Dr. Tamilio If we played a game of word association, and I said dog, you would probably say: cat. If I were to say chicken, you would say: egg. If I were to say stewardship, you would say: oh, that’s when pastors tell their churches to give money. […]
Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor © 2020, Dr. Tamilio Today’s Gospel Lesson is sometimes referred to as the parable of the ten virgins; sometimes it is called the parable of the ten bridesmaids. Either way, five of them are seen as wise and five are foolish. You just heard me read it: you can figure […]
Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor © 2020, Dr. Tamilio Has anyone ever asked you for your “elevator speech” when it comes to something you think or believe? Here’s how this works. You get on an elevator on the tenth floor of a building. There’s someone already on the elevator. In the time it takes the […]