More than anything, Vivian Silver believed in peace. In 2000 she helped create the Arab-Jewish Center for Equality, Empowerment, and Cooperation and in 2014 she founded a movement co- led by Israeli and Palestinian women called “Women Wage Peace.”

Vivian had faith that a two state solution was possible and wanted peace and prosperity for her Palestinian neighbors as much as for her Israeli ones. She believed that, “[I]f more Jews could understand the distress of their Arab neighbors, the next generation would be more willing to exchange land for peace.”

Vivian is remembered as a woman who built bridges with people on the other side. She crossed the border regularly to work with friends and activists, wept openly at the destruction of Arab homes by the Israeli government, and drove sick Gazan children to the hospital herself so they could receive medical care. She was so committed to the cause that she was still arguing for a peace deal in an interview with a local public broadcaster from the safe room in her home, where she took shelter on October 7. According to the New York Times:

  she was frustrated (after the interview). On the phone with her son, Yonatan, she recounted how the interviewer had dismissed her (vision for peace, even while) in the background, (Yonantan) could hear gunfire and militants shouting. It sounded like his petite, 74-year-old mother was standing on a battlefield….“Do you want to continue speaking, or should we say goodbye?” he asked her.

      “Let’s say goodbye,” Vivian told him.

She then texted a little while later to tell him that men were inside the house.

  “I’m afraid to breathe,” she wrote.

“I’m with you,” texted Yonatan.

“I feel you,” Vivian replied.

“Are you safe now?” he texted. “Mom?”

There was no response...

Two weeks ago, a handful of us here at the church attended a justice summit run by the U.C.C.. After a keynote address on, “The Politics of Jesus,” Craig and I went to a Braver Angels session on depolarization.
And I have to confess to you that in spite of the fact that the title for the workshop was literally, “Depolarizing Ourselves," I went to that workshop thinking I was going to learn some techniques for depolarizing others. I did.
I went in the hopes of getting people on the other side to act more reasonably, listen more openly, and maybe even vote more - dare I say - rationally. I did not sign up with any intention of doing my own work because I didn’t think I was part of the problem. I mean I’m already reasonable, open minded, and rational…right? At least I thought I was.
But unfortunately, the first thing they did was give us a quiz to determine how polarized we actually are, and friends, let’s just say I did not pass with flying colors. It’s short, so I’m going to walk you through it and you can see if you do any better. Ok? Question #1...

Todays' worship featured beautiful music from our choir and a dynamic sermon by the Rev. Dr. Diane Johnson. Diane is one of our newer members and a powerhouse. She is a nationally recognized change management consultant, innovative leader, U.C.C. pastor, spiritual director, executive coach, author, and speaker with passion and expertise in social transformation. She is the CEO/Founder of her national firm, Mmapeu Consulting which specializes is innovative solutions to intractable problems… and boy are we grappling here and around the world right now with intractable problems, so we hope you are inspired by what she had to say to us this morning. It was an honor and a blessing to have her with us.

I didn’t watch the Presidential debate. I was otherwise engaged that evening, which was just as well, because the truth is that I didn’t want to watch the debate. Given that the stakes are so high, I knew that I would have been incredibly stressed the entire time. So for my own mental and spiritual wellbeing, I had already resolved to just read about it in the morning.

But when I arrived home this past Tuesday, I popped on Facebook - you know,  just to see how people were doing - and the first post I saw was from the Rev. Laura Everett who is the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches. She had written: “My Haitian kin, I am so profoundly sorry.  You should not have to endure this.  You are beloved by God and me.”

Friends, my first thought was that there had been another earthquake, so I went straight to the New York Times to see what had happened in Haiti and found myself, within seconds…

I recently picked up a copy of Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg’s book, “On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World,” and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Like most books nowadays it begins with a trigger warning, but given the subject matter, it’s clear from the outset that the whole book is a trigger.

She cautions her readers to take care of themselves accordingly, and I would extend the same invitation to you right now. Not because I’m going to get into any gory details about the horrible things people do to each other. I won’t.

But because when it comes to the work of repentance and repair - whether we are talking about the intimate ways we hurt one another or the institutional ways we hurt one another - we are all effected and we are all implicated.

We all have something to apologize for and we could all use an apology. We have all suffered harm, we all have a responsibility to make amends for the harm we have caused, and neither end of that process is comfortable for anyone. So in the interest of full disclosure, you need to know that today’s sermon might make you uncomfortable.

Today's worship featured a dialogue sermon between Pastor Sarah Buteux of First Churches and Pastor Anna Woofenden of St. Johns.

Sarah

The church of my youth is gone. Not just closed, but demolished. Former congregants have been posting videos over the last few weeks of excavators literally tearing down the walls of Grace Conservative Baptist Church in Nanuet, N.Y.. 

Scrolling through the pictures is heartbreaking. I was never a fan of the postmodern architecture, but what our church lacked in aesthetics it well then made up for in enthusiasm. From what I can tell, the education wing, with classrooms that once accommodated up to 300 children, was the first to go. In later pictures, I can still see the giant map that graced the inner wall of the sanctuary. That map used to twinkle with dozens of lights that represented the missionaries we were supporting all over the world. 

Through the jagged edges of broken stained glass, I can see what’s left of the balcony where I used to sit with my mother and my sisters, sucking on Werther’s Originals to keep our stomachs from growling when the sermon went long. 

If I close my eyes I can still remember the ...

In the summer of 1965, there was a call put out by Civil Rights leaders, leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., to any and all who wished to join the work/the movement that was taking place in the deep South. Most that would answer this call were college students and clergy from other parts of the United States. In one particular case, the issue of protest and presence was sought to help with voter suppression taking place in the state of Alabama. In 1965 a planned march was coming together, a march that would see those seeking justice and equality to move in unison/to move as one from Selma, Alabama 50 miles east to the capital of Montgomery. One such person who answered that call was a young man named Jonathan Daniels.
Daniels had grown up in ...

If you had a friend who went to a retreat, a revival, maybe even to a house of worship, and then came back and told you that the speaker had said:

“I am the living bread come down from heaven…
Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life…
whoever eats me will live because of me.

would you let your friend go back to that place?

Would you go with them?

Would you stay for coffee hour?

No! Because gross, right? And yet it was Jesus himself who said:

unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you have no life in you…
for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.
Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.

Friends, I’ve been taking communion for the better part of my life. I’ve broken the bread and said, “This is my body.”

I’ve poured out the cup and said, “This is my blood.”
But hearing Jesus talk like this in John chapter 6, hearing him hammer home over and over again the idea that we need to eat his flesh and drink his blood is a bit much, even for me.

Jesus sounds like a cross between a cult leader and...

I ran a 5K a few weeks ago, almost by accident. I’m more of a walker then a runner, but my daughter, Genevieve, loves to run and she is always looking for a race. So when we drove through Lisbon up in Maine and she saw signs for the annual Moxie Festival that kicks off with a 5K, she knew she had to be there. And, since she’s only 14, I knew I’d have to drive.

I haven’t raced in any serious way since the Hot Chocolate Run, but I figured that if I was going to get up early and drive her there, I might as well register and at least get a free t-shirt for 30 bucks - right? - so I did.

Well, we left our cabin in the woods at 6:15… in the a. m…. giving us plenty of time to make it over to Lisbon. But when we got within about a mile of the festival we were diverted by a detour and then another detour, such that we arrived at the race with very little time to spare. “Don’t worry,” I said to Genevieve, who was already bouncing up and down in anticipation and anxiety, “these things never start on time and we’re still on time.”

But by the time we parked, got our bibs, and walked across the street to where the runners were massing, I could hear the National Anthem being sung.

I sent GV up ahead to where the serious runners were and heard the master of ceremonies take the mic.. I figured he’d at least thank the sponsors and I’d have a minute to get my head in the game, but all he said was, “Well, it’s 7:29. so runners: on your mark, get set…” and before I even had a chance to regret my life choices, I found myself running and realized that gosh darn it, I had a good three miles to go before this ordeal would be over.

I came in 256th overall, and 8th in my age group, which wasn’t too bad. But Genevieve came in 48th and placed second in her age group, which meant she got a prize and we’d need to stick around for the awards ceremony.

And now, my friends, we come to the point of my story. This being Lisbon, first prize in every age group came with a case of Moxie.

When bad things happen to other people, most of us have a tendency to look ever so slightly away, the better to hold our own more closely.

When I pass a car accident, I always say a prayer for the family affected even as I ask safe passage for my own. Anybody else do that?

When I hear about another mass shooting, even as I pray for everyone involved, there is a part of me that cannot help but give thanks that it didn’t happen in my community or my church or my kid’s school. At least not this time around.

When I hear the stories of families waiting for the return of hostages in Israel or the stories of mothers holding the lifeless bodies of their children in Gaza, I shudder with empathy, knowing that I would go absolutely mad with fear and grief if anything like that ever happened to either of my children.

In the face of any of the horrible things that happen, I’ve often reached out to hug my own children and whisper: “You know how much I love you, right?”

“Yeah Mom, we know,” they say, as they roll their eyes and pull away. But I persist in telling them anyway, as if my love can protect them.

I think that’s just human nature. What we love we do our best to care for. What we care for, we do our best to protect.

Deep down we know ...

Today I made an historic announcement that you can read below or you can click on the link above and watch our service. It begins about 11 minutes into the live stream.

As most of you know, back in 2007 the ceiling in this sanctuary gave out and the resulting repairs and restoration cost the church over $2 million dollars. Under the leadership of the Rev. Peter Ives and with the support of many others but notably Peg Whitham who was moderator through that time, this congregation was able to raise a million dollars and took out a million dollar mortgage to cover the rest.

Through careful stewardship, sacrifice, planned giving, and refinancing, we have somehow managed to pay off just over half of the mortgage while keeping our ministry strong. But, if you were at our budget meeting two weeks ago, you also know that this coming December we will need to refinance. We will lose the favorable interest rate we have now and, given the current market conditions, we anticipate that our rate could more than double.

Well, I am awed and humbled and still in a state of disbelief, but friends, it is my joy to share with you the news that there are generous souls within this congregation who have the means and the desire to fully pay off the roughly $470,000 left on the mortgage this October.

Although they wish to remain anonymous, I hope and pray they will feel the full extent of our love and gratitude this morning as you rise and give the glory to God.

Friends this gift is a gift of extraordinary generosity and deep faithfulness. It is a gift of historic proportion and significance. This gift is a tremendous affirmation of the work we are doing here and the work we have yet to do. It is a sign that the God who began a good work in us over 350 years ago has not given up on us but is working through us even still.

This gift gets us out from under a debt that has weighed on us all and opens up possibilities for the future we have only begun to dream of. I think it is also a sign of God with us, a sign of God at work through us and around us, a sign of God’s faithfulness to you and your faithfulness to God.

And, as I think of Jesus’ words, “to whom much is given, much will be expected,” I hope and pray and trust that we will find the grace to be worthy of this gift and that together we will use it well.

Today we will read the story of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee. Today we will meditate on the wonder of a God who remains with us through the challenges of this life. And so let me say this: First Churches, it has not been easy but we have weathered a most challenging season together and though I know we will weather many more, today I pray that as this news sinks in, as our hearts open to receive it and our spirits open to the will of the Spirit who will use it for good, that God would bind us together in faith and in hope, but most of all in love… May you feel the presence of God within and around you … a God who loves you, a God who is with you, a God who will never let you go. (Today's sermon follows if you click "read more.")

Today we were blessed with fabulous music and a sermon by guest preacher, Rev. Chris Mereschuk. Click the link to the right to watch our service. Here is the sermon:

If you take a look at the history of human civilizations, there seems to be a

tendency for societies to grow into more complex, bureaucratic, centralized,

and powerful systems of government, coupled with a demand for strong

leaders. Every person through history and geography is born into a tribe,

culture, or nation that has some form of an established system of government,

with varying degrees of hierarchy, liberty, representation, and civic

responsibility

—

each functioning with some mix of effectiveness,

ineffectiveness, and corruption. In many cases, when that ratio gets too far

out of whack and the people become unhappy with how they are being led,

the people demand a new leader or even an entirely new form of leadership

or government. For it seems that leaders are prone to corruption, and the

people are prone to rebellion.

The people who would become the ancient Israelites followed much of this

same pattern. They began as ...