HELLO!

I am sending this daily blog to all our 480 households, not the 125 daily subscribers, as Peter tells me the livestream was not working this morning. As per usual our clever Peter always has a backup plan, thus he records the services and then uploads them to our YouTube channel after the service. God bless him, and Maureen, who patiently waits as Peter does his AV artistry. Thanks also to Bev, Lori and Steve, the other three members of this dedicated AV team. We are so blessed to have them offer this ministry! Given this was a collaborative effort, offered by five Dartmouth United Churches, I thought you would like to see it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6HvaQSYSqc

I loved The Fourth Magi drama. We mainline Protestants assume we are the givers, others are there to receive. While there is great generosity to this assumption, it is also more than a little arrogant, to think we give, others receive. What if, in humility, we realized how much we need to receive? Jesus is the gift of this season of Epiphany. I felt my colleague Michael Mugford, as the Fourth Magi, broke through the words, the typical way presenters stand and deliver their “correct lines”. Michael’s body language, his asides (adlibs), his energy, brought the words to life.

Thanks to Bethe for doing such a great job organizing this gathering!

I end with an ask…I hope in early February to begin my faith studies (weekly on Tuesday nights and monthly on Wednesday mornings). Through suggestions from the congregation, I have five different books to choose from. Please tell me which one most captivates your interest:

• What Saint Paul Really Said by N. T. Wright A concise, authoritative account, Tom Wright explores Paul's background and his teaching.
• Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others by Barbara Brown Taylor She takes her rural southern Christian students on field trips to monasteries, temples, and mosques. She finds new meaning in old teachings that have too often been used to exclude religious strangers instead of embracing the divine challenges they present.
• Into the Mess and Other Jesus Stories: Reflections on the Life of Christ by Debie Thomas Jesus was a disrupter and a peacemaker, a rebel and a rabbi. His friends were the riffraff, and his enemies the religious elite. These essays on the stories of Jesus are invitations to faith in all its complexity and untidiness.
• What Is the Bible?: How an Ancient Library of Poems, Letters, and Stories Can Transform the Way You Think and Feel About Everything by Rob Bell What’s the story unfolding here, why did people find it important to tell it? Bell addresses the concerns of those troubled by ethical dilemmas, errors, and inconsistencies in the Bible.
• Delivered out of Empire: Pivotal Moments in the Book of Exodus by Walter Brueggemann Want to better understand Moses, his efforts to liberate his people, what the Book of Exodus means?

Peace, Kevin