In-Person Sanctuary worship will resume when the pandemic environment has improved enough that we can provide a safe and healthy worship space for our congregation. Click here for Virtual Service Information.
Montaigne was despised by both sides during the wars of religion between Protestants and Catholics that ravaged France from 1562-1598, writes historian Robert Zaretsky in an essay (June 29, 2020) for the NYT. He was known in his time as a politique: Someone who “for the sake of all tries to find common ground in […]
please note: We will be taking the month of July off from posting regular blog posts. Blog Posts will resume again in August. The Dance Michael Jinkins 1. Two storks weave between the clouds I have no idea how high above this garden. In Two Three time they waltz, spin, circling one another to […]
Unfinished Business of the Heart Michael Jinkins Some say that people first came up with the idea of heaven because there are so many things we can’t get resolved on earth. The psalmist struggles with this fact, in one place, praising God for always taking care of the faithful, and in another place, lamenting […]
The Recovery of the Person Michael Jinkins Several weeks ago I preached on the text Micah 6:1-8. A number of you have continued the conversation we began in that sermon. So, I thought I would toss a few more things into the pot for us to stew on. As I mentioned in the sermon, there’s […]
A More Perfect Union A Word in the Midst of this Moment Michael Jinkins Many years ago I started keeping a small leather-bound copy of the United States Constitution within reach, usually on my desk. Despite those who argue with one another, touting one amendment of that section of the Constitution’s amendments we call “The […]
Grace and Guilt Michael Jinkins Within ten minutes I read in the paper two stories about guilt and COVID-19: In the first, a woman in New Orleans expressed guilt that her beloved husband had not gotten the funeral he deserved. He was a business owner renowned for his generosity toward people who couldn’t afford […]
Healthy Families Michael Jinkins Research that has stood the test of time deserves reflection. And one piece of research I came across several years ago reported that healthy families tend to be the ones in relationship with other families and individuals. Unhealthy families tend to keep to themselves. Since this study was first reported in […]
Tears for a Tyrant Michael Jinkins According to ancient texts collected by Macrobius, when Augustus Caesar heard that Herod, who was called “king of the Jews,” included his own son in a slaughter of all boys under the age of two in Syria, Augustus joked, “It is better to be Herod’s pig than Herod’s […]
Binge Reading Michael Jinkins Recently Bob Vorhoff sent me an excellent Washington Post column by George Will titled “What we lost when we stopped reading.” The column referenced a journal article by Adam Garfinkle on “Deep Literacy.” I highly recommend both essays and am grateful to Bob for sending them to me. In […]
In Praise of Ignorance Michael Jinkins Everybody is ignorant. It’s true. Everyone is ignorant. And it is nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s a very big world. Much bigger than anyone can know. And the relatively intelligent understand that there’s lots they don’t know. Which means that there’s lots more out there to […]