It has been a unique and, frankly, strange year that now comes to a close. And while the restrictions we faced this year were certainly less strict than those experienced in 2020, they certainly were challenging. Mandates and masks, pro-vaxers v. anti-vaxers created confusion and conflict. And from a staff point of view, there was […]
Thus says the LORD: You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel. – Micah 5:1 It was the prophet Micah who foretold the birthplace of the Messiah. Like other Old Testament prophets, his is a challenging message […]
Advent is far and away my favorite liturgical season of the year. Perhaps it’s because I was ordained just before Advent and the season was my first experience as a priest. Perhaps it’s because the days are getting shorter, the evenings darker and colder, and all that seems perfectly matched with the themes and readings […]
Every year, around Thanksgiving, we celebrate stewardship here at Nativity. Here’s the basic blueprint for what we do and why we do it. What Is It? Stewardship Weekend is an extended reflection and celebration of giving in our parish. Stewardship, when it comes to discipleship, also includes gifts of time and talent, but we talk […]
Missions Weekend You are my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. – Acts 1:8 The final instruction from the Lord to the Church clearly teaches there are to be no limits to our missionary service. The three-fold nature of the instruction indicates that the Christian community has […]
Rebuilt has always been about sharing our real-time experiences in a real-life parish. Now that we are solidly into our fall semester here at Nativity, it seems like a good time for an update on what’s new and what’s next. If I had to identify one central theme of this update it would be that […]
What has become undeniably clear over the last months, and especially the last weeks, is that a return to pre-COVID church attendance is not happening anytime soon. We’ve discussed possible reasons why in previous posts. But what we didn’t completely anticipate was how the re-opening process would happen in fits and starts. In many places, […]
Every church I am in conversation with has seen a setback in their in-person weekend attendance this past year. Typically, I’m hearing between 20% to 50% of pre-COVID attendance. Currently, here at Nativity, we are consistently seeing 35% of our previous attendance at our reduced weekend Mass schedule (three Masses down from five). In case […]
In one recent national poll, respondents were asked to identify their mindset towards the next step in what I have come to call the COVID ordeal. The poll found that people fall into four distinct categories: 45% Vaccinated and ready for a return to normal 25% Vaccinated but not ready for a return to normal […]
Recently I was reading one of my favorite “church” blogs, Pastor Tony Morgan (The Unstuck Church Group) and came across this striking aphorism: “My church is for me, but it’s not about me.” I am often asked what was the single most important thing we did, decision we made, or turn we took, that had […]
