Second Sunday of Lent Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor The Book of Genesis is one of my favorite books in the Bible. It begins “in the beginning” and follows us all the way to the story of Joseph in the land of Egypt. The first three chapters are mesmerizing. Actually, these chapters tell two different […]
Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor Gospel Lesson: Matthew 17:1-9 When I was eight years old, my parents bought a camp on Mousam Lake in Maine. It remained in the family until recently. In later years, my siblings and I would divide weeks throughout the summer to spend time at “the camp” with our respective families. […]
Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor Next Sunday, we will reflect upon the Transfiguration of Jesus. Three days later, we will enter the season of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Then, we will walk the penitential path of deep spiritual reflection and formation for forty days. So, this really is the last Sunday of Epiphany. It sounds […]
Fifth Sunday After Epiphany Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor © 2020, Dr. Tamilio When I was working on my Master’s in English, I took a course in utopian literature. We read authors such as Sir Thomas More, Jonathan Swift, and Voltaire. One of the first things that an author of a utopian narrative does is […]
Third Sunday After Epiphany Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor © 2020, Dr. Tamilio I began writing this sermon last Monday on Martin Luther King Day. I thought about a different day, almost fifty-two years ago, when he was gunned down in Memphis. I thought about the hate that must have filled the heart of James […]
Second Sunday After Epiphany Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor © 2020, Dr. Tamilio As much as I enjoyed the incredibly short commute to the Church in the Cove in Beverly last Sunday as part of the Massachusetts Conference of Congregational Christian Churches annual pulpit swap — I think it took Cindy and I seven minutes […]
Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor Gospel Lesson: Matthew 2:1-12 © 2019, Dr. Tamilio Even though the lights have been taken down and the trees have been thrown to the curb, it’s still Christmas. Christmas music no longer plays on the radio 24/7 and there are no TV ads for THE BEST CHRISTMAS DEALS IMAGINABLE, but […]
Peace. Today is the second Sunday of Advent — the day that we focus on peace, be it the peace the Christ child brings or the peace that will be ushered in when Christ returns. Peace is one of those catch-words: we use it quite a bit in the church, but we rarely reflect on […]
Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor Not too, too far from here (28.28 miles as the crow flies) is Plymouth Rock — the place where the Mayflower landed in America and its passengers (the Pilgrims) established Plymouth Colony. This happened almost 400 years ago. At first, these English Separatists went to Holland voluntarily between 1607 and […]
Sunday, November 17, 2019 ~ Pentecost 23 Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor © 2019, Dr. Tamilio Isaiah is one of the Old Testament’s major prophets. What separates the major prophets (like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel) from the minor prophets (like Hosea, Jonah, and Micah) is the length of their manuscripts. Isaiah is sixty-six chapters long. […]