For the last year, I have volunteered my time to help make Quilts of Valor — quilts that are presented to members of the military who are returning home with wounds to body, mind or spirit.

I learned about Quilts of Valor at Quilt Yourself, a studio in Savage where I learned to use a computer-assisted long-arm quilting machine.  Like many of their customers, I volunteered to use my new skills to help.

A quick quilt primer:  a quilt is a sandwich — the top layer is the pretty part, then comes filling called batting, then a backing which is usually plain.  The actual quilting is the stitching that holds the three layers together.  A long-armed quilting machine makes that easier, and also makes it possible to stitch beautiful designs to enhance the pattern on the top.

I knew I would enjoy the process of quilting; what surprised me was how moving it has been to be part of this grass-roots effort to provide a measure of healing to the women and men whose lives have been forever changed by their military service. 

On Sunday, I shared some of the QOV’s I have worked on with church folks at “PS” — which stands for ‘Post Service with Pastor Sandy.”  There were lots of stories of how quilts, prayer shawls, and other similar gifts have been profoundly healing for people in need.  I hope these quilts will be, too.

In today’s lesson, Jesus is asked to name the greatest commandment, and his answer is one of the “basics” of Christian faith.  What might it teach us today …?

Back to Basics

Psalm 90:1-6, 12-17; Matthew 22:34-40

In the seventeen years I have been preaching regularly, I have probably written sermons on this text a dozen times. And as I thought back over those sermons, they all said pretty much the same thing: loving God and your neighbor is a lot harder than it sounds.

That’s pretty much what I am going to say this morning, too,

Continue…

This was the last of three Sundays talking about stewardship — but maybe not in the way you might have expected ..

Making and Sharing

Note: The images referred to in this sermon can be found online at http://www.janrichardson.com/wisdomspathprintenlg.html and at  http://www.janrichardson.com/bestsupperprintenlg.html; the numbers refer to slides in a Powerpoint Presentation.

John 6:1-14; John 6:35

The three words in this year’s Stewardship theme – “Growing, Making, Sharing” are three words that we can use to describe the church at its best:·

1 The church is like a growing tree that reaches down to receive living water, reaches upwards and outwards into the world, and is – at its heart – filled with what is holy.·

2 The church is the place where we make something of our lives – both in the sense of developing our character and living our vocation, and in the sense of making sense of what happens to us and around us.·

3 The church is the table where we gather with all of humanity – all of creation – to receive and share the gifts of God.

Continue…

Worship - and especially sermons — often seem to be full of words …  So in this sermon (and the two to follow), we will be using our eyes as well as our ears to “listen” for the message.  I encourage you to follow the link to the picture as you read …

Growing

Luke 8:4-15 & John 6:35;  Jeremiah 17:7-8

Note: The image used in this sermon is “Mother Root” by Jan L. Richardson,

It is somewhat unnerving to encounter major financial crises in the week leading up to the beginning of our Stewardship season. But stewardship is about much more than money, and certainly about much more than anxiety about money. Stewardship is about receiving the gifts of God with gratitude, and about using the gifts of God with courage, imagination, extravagance, and joy. Continue…

Please click on the October 2008 Chronicle for church news and interesting events happening at Firstt UCC this month!