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By THE REV. RANDY CALVO

This coming Wednesday is Abraham Lincoln’s birth anniversary. In his Second Inaugural Address, as the President of a divided Union, he realized that people of faith were praying to the same God for different outcomes. Lincoln was humble enough to dare not equate God’s will with that of either side, saying, “The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes.”

By THE REV. ALISON CORNISH

With Lent underway, the Spring Equinox last week, and Passover and Easter on the near horizon, we are in the midst of a bevy of holidays and holy days. In every place on the planet where the earth reawakens to a burgeoning new season of life-giving, life-affirming gifts, there is a sense of joyful abundance even as the news continues to sadden and alarm. We desperately need holidays, holy days.

By THE REV. CINDY LAJOY

Are we living in a post-Christian era? Or a post-Christian dominance? Is the Christian church in decline? Or is it merely not the only game in town any longer? While we may be seeing the deconstructing of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs throughout our government and some enterprises, the data says that the diversity of spirituality is actually on the rise … and that may upset some folks. But should it? Does it matter that one religion “beats” another? Should we be fearful that the religion that tends to be most familiar to Americans appears to be on a gradual downhill slide? And perhaps the most important question of all, does God care whose “side” we are on, or does God care far more that we are trying to tap the Divine in whatever way works best for us?

By HETTY STARTUP

In very tough times, we lean hard on community and faith. We did this during the horrors of Jan. 6 and on 9/11. In past decades, some of us drew deeply from our moral stance about civil rights and we need to do so again. Some of us prayed at vigils against the Iraq war and more recently held our faith communities close during the COVID-19 pandemic. These are, if you like, the chapters of our experience as people of faith. They may help us feel that we were there; they date and define us. May we prevail. In between, here are a couple of my chapters.

By THE REV. LINDA M. RHINEHART NEAS

Composer Dan Schutte wrote, “I will break their hearts of stone, give them hearts for love alone.”

By BEN TOUSLEY, M.DIV

Listening to Jimmy Carter’s funeral service on Jan. 9, a national day of mourning, I found myself choking up as they brought his casket into the cathedral. My emotion certainly wasn’t because Carter’s life, at 100, had been cut short. He had lived out his calling as peacemaker, house builder, disease preventer and the like.

By THE REV. DEREK IRVINE

Greetings in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ! Allow me to introduce, or shall I say re-introduce, myself, as I’ve had the opportunity to write for this column a few times before. My name is Pastor Derek Irvine and I have the privilege of now serving as the new senior pastor at the Advent Christian Church in Vernon, Vermont, after serving on staff for the past nine years as associate pastor. My family and I have settled in the beautiful town of Gill and we have loved living in Franklin County and serving in this area.

By PASTOR BRETT REITENBACH

History is filled with the rise and fall of governments. Some leaders stay in place for many years, but even those who stay in power a long time must eventually depart. In recent weeks, major leadership changes have happened in various parts of the world. Here in the United States, we are just two days away from Inauguration Day which will see our 47th president enter the office. Despite America’s political divisions and trying times throughout its history, the relative stability and consistency of elections and transfers of power for more than 230 years is remarkable.

By THE REV. JASON A. BURNS

It always amazes me at how quickly the joy and excitement of the Christmas season subsides. I suspect it is because the joy of Christmas does not come from the virgin birth, from shepherds in their fields, from kings following a star, or from angels singing with the heavenly hosts. It isn’t about the beautiful decorations, the gorgeous music, the happiness of seeing and being with family, or watching our children open gifts from Santa. All of these wonderful things are byproducts of the fact that God lives among us.

By THE REV. CANDI ASHENDEN

As the holiday glow fades and January settles in, the humdrum of daily life returns. The decorations are boxed up, the festive meals are a memory, and the calendar flips back to workdays, school schedules, and to-do lists. For many, this transition...

By THE REV. DR. CHRIS DAVIES

Mary, the mother of Jesus, was radical — a prophet, even, in a world that offered little hope for an unwed pregnant teenager.For many Christians, Sunday, Dec. 22 is the Fourth Sunday of Advent — the day that symbolizes love — wherein Mary’s song of...

By PASTOR BENJIMAN DURFEE

During the last two months of the year, we’re usually overwhelmed with messages to be jolly, we’re expected to show up for events with cheerful smiles, and we’re constantly surrounded by the joyous sounds of the holiday season. And while this is a...

By THE REV. JULIE G. OLMSTED

I have watched and listened over the past several years, as public discourse and the language used by elected officials and their followers has steadily slipped into a kind of exchange that once would have never been allowed to see the light of day....

By THE REV. ALLEN M. COMSTOCK

Because faith matters, we need to ask ourselves whether, in this time of political stress, our faith has gotten swallowed up in our politics. If so, we need to rescue our faith from our politics so that maybe our faith might come to the rescue of our...

By HETTY STARTUP

Have you, like me, noticed a spate of large, at least twice-human-sized skeletons appearing around the Valley in time for Halloween this year? They sure are creepy and quite threatening even if they are completely fake. As signifiers of our mortality,...

By THE REV. DAVID JONES

I’ve been re-reading “The Prophetic Imagination,” a classic by biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann. In it he talks about the prophetic ministry of churches as being the result of two essential ingredients.The first ingredient is that a church must...

By THE REV. HEATHER J. BLAIS

Recently, we took our oldest child on a tour of my alma mater, Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Our oldest has always navigated life with an insatiable curiosity and desire to know more. I was eager for them to have a taste of the...

By THE REV. RANDOLPH CALVO

Today is Oct. 5. Election Day is Nov. 5.A recent survey found that 90% of Americans can name a recent news event that made them angry while only 50% could name something that made them proud. This is a worrisome comparison of numbers as we approach...

By THE REV. ALISON CORNISH

When a message runs through the whole of scripture, it’s worth taking notice. The ancient imperative of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures — to welcome the stranger — is one of note for its insistence, its timelessness, and timeliness, too.First...

By THE REV. CINDY LAJOY

Have you ever judged yourself for not being “spiritual enough?” And what does that even mean? Today in America we often find people speaking more about their spiritual journeys than their faith or religious journeys, and for many that is a much better...

By THE REV. JIMMY PICKETT

I have on my right arm a tattoo that reminds me every day why I serve as a priest in the Episcopal Church.I grew up in Leicester and spent nearly every weekend at my Great Grandmother’s house, an old red farmhouse with a big barn and a large field...