There’s a new stir happening about the Bible and Jesus.  Director James Cameron has put together a documentary that claims to reveal that Jesus was buried with his family, and that Jesus had a child.  In other words, Cameron is playing Scrooge to Easter.  Sound familiar?   Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code raised similar issues and became a movie.  Now The Lost Tomb of Jesus, which airs on Discovery next Sunday, is set to raise some more controversy.

Airing on television tonight is another documentary that strikes closer to home.  On CPTV tonight at 8 p.m., Closing the Gap: Our Children, Our Destiny, will examine poverty and education in Connecticut.  This provocative look at early childhood education will examine and question what are the best ways to invest in our children and our future.

My guess is that a whole lot of people are going to watch Cameron’s The Tomb and relatively few people will watch Closing the Gap. What I wonder is this: if we took care of all our children and invested love, hope, peace and joy in each child’s life, and ensured that every child could live in a safe world with a good education and great possibilities for their lives – would anyone question that Jesus is alive?

Luke 4: 1-13
Rev. Bryan Travis Hooper

It has occurred to me that one excellent Lenten discipline might be to reflect on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. From time to time I pick up a collection of his works that I have in my library and read something about his life or one of his speeches or writings and I am always impressed by the power of his words, the depth of his thought, the uncompromising compassion in his heart. When I read his words, he becomes more alive to me, more of a real human being, and less of a slogan or catch phrase. One of Dr. King’s strengths was his mastery of language, but a negative consequence of his mastery of language has been that much of what he said and stood for has been reduced to a few sound bites cut out of his powerful rhetoric. For many people, Dr. King is simply they guy who had a dream. So, I want to encourage you this Lent to consider diving into the life of Dr. King – in many ways, he is our American Saint, one of our spiritual giants, and reflecting on his life in earnest is a fruitful Lenten practice. (more…)

Winter came late this year, but it came.  Winter brings cold weather, long, dark nights, frosty mornings, and usually some snow.  I enjoy winter: warm blankets, fire in the fireplace, hot cocoa.  But something powerful in me stirs at the first signs of spring.

The word Lent literally means “Spring.”  It refers to this season of newness, when plants begin to bloom and the sun rises a little earlier.  As our days get longer and warmer, spring will warm us up and thaw us out, and we will emerge from under all the thick coats and warm hats of winter.

But Lent is also a season on the Christian calendar.  The days before Easter are much like the days leading up to a warm spring day.  We take the time to remain introspective, hunkered down in prayer and repentance.  But we do so looking forward to the day that we will emerge, and recognize the graceful work of our God in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus on Easter morning.

In other words, I don’t think Lent should be a dark, depressing time.  Somber and serious, yes.  But our spiritual practice during the season of Lent is always aware that soon the days will be getting longer and brighter.  Soon we will shed our sackcloth, and embrace the freedom and grace that God has given us.

Plan now to stay after church for a special benefit luncheon on March 9. This fundraiser meal is designated to raise money for the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund. Baked potatoes with your choice of assorted toppings, broccoli, cheese, chili, sour cream, etc., will be available in Wesley Hall. 100 potatoes will be prepared. A donation fee of $3.50 or more will help defray costs of the food and boost the funds available to Pastor Bryan for emergency assistance for people in crisis.…After the luncheon, stay for a concert at 12:30 p.m., given by Catherine Colquhoun, a University of Hartford student who regularly worships with us. Our sanctuary will be filled with the sounds of violin, cello and piano. A dessert reception will follow in the parlor.

Luke 9: 28-43
Rev. Roger Floyd
Welcome to the mountain-top!

You may not have perceived our worship as a “mountain-top” experience…something special, exciting, especially spiritual, holy.  But, it is! Or, at least it can be… or should be.  Because it’s a time when…in a community of the faithful… God encounters us. Here we are separated from the mundane. The Spirit penetrates our consciousness and fills every corner of our being.   We are inspired by the Word…thrilled by the music…healed by hope…hugged by God…overwhelmed! (more…)

Luke 6: 17-26
Rev. Bryan Travis Hooper

I remember when I used to go to church – I mean when I used to go to church like you go to church – instead of like I go to church now – and I would listen to sermons. That was always my favorite part – the sermon. Some of you are here for the music or the fellowship – some of you are even here for the food – but I always went for the sermon. There were good sermons and there were bad sermons. And some Sundays one preacher would be good and other Sundays not so good. But there were also curious sermons, that didn’t really fit into the categories of “good” or “bad.” These were troubling sermons. Sermons that forced me to think in a new way – or to consider the world differently – or to change some idea that I had in my head. Or they were just sermons that I wasn’t quite ready to hear. (more…)

Join Pastor Bryan Hooper in an experiential course on the power of prayer during the Sunday evenings of Lent, starting on February 10th, at 6:30 p.m.  Pastor Bryan will guide you through a spiritual discipline that will deepen your prayer life.  Prayer is the most basic thing a person of faith can do.  Almost every spiritual disciple and religion around the world embraces prayer as a primary means of connecting with God and healing the mind and body.  Prayer is the fundamental starting point for our life-long conversation with God.  Prayer is also a natural human response to the joys and pains of living. All of us can benefit from a refresher course on how to prayer. Plan to join us.

Luke 5: 1-11
Rev. Bryan Travis Hooper

I once threw a party. I was feeling a little blue, and I thought a party would be a perfect way to cheer me up. So I invited everyone I knew. But since I was feeling blue, I didn’t expect many people to actually come. Still, I prepared for what I considered an optimistic expectation in terms of attendance at my party. I bought more food than I thought I needed, and I even had a few extra chairs around so we could all have a place to sit. (more…)