A few weeks ago, I was getting ready to go out of town and decided that I wanted to take a necktie. And then I thought, “Heck! When was the last time I actually wore a necktie?” You see, on Sundays – the main tie-wearing day for a lot of pastors – I always wear a clerical collar. And the rest of the time, I usually just wear a button-down shirt with no tie. I could wear a tie to the office, but things in our office are a little less formal than some offices.

So, I opened a little-used drawer and went in search of a tie and came across this historical archive of ties that I used to wear. Hidden away among these ties was a tie that I had forgotten – a real historic artifact from the year I was born. . .

I am writing this on Thursday, June 11 – a date that is 197 days before Christmas – but I am excited to say that this morning, at a small gathering of people in our Fellowship Hall, the topic of conversation was all about Christmas….

The word “polity” comes from Greek and Latin words that mean, basically, “form of government or administration of a state.” Just as the United States Constitution outlines the form of government for our nation, the Book of Order outlines the form of government for the church. How does/should the church be governed?

Just as a preview, this is the part of the “Foundations” section that we will be discussing this Sunday….

In recent months, in multiple settings and in multiple conversations, members of our congregation have expressed a desire to spend some time learning more about what it means to be Presbyterian. There are some who are new Presbyterians and simply want to know more. There are others who have been Presbyterians for years and feel they need a refresher. There are others, still, who want to have a kind of spiritual vocabulary that will help them talk about their faith….

A few months ago, one of my “Weekly Word” articles was called “The Flag + The Cross.” In the article, I talked about sitting in a church in which the American flag and the cross were placed, perhaps inadvertently, side by side. I also talked about the meaning – theological and personal – of symbols in the church and how sometimes we might lean more to the personal than the theological when it comes to certain symbols….

This past Monday, I drove down to Princeton, NJ for my 25th Class Reunion at Princeton Theological Seminary. I needed to leave early enough to make it in time for choir practice. Yep. . . choir practice. Now, I didn’t get pulled for speeding, but if I had gotten pulled over, I might have used choir practice as an excuse. You see, there had been a call to former members of the seminary choir for a pick-up choir that would sing at the opening worship service. The Director of Music at Princeton Seminary is a wonderful man named Martin Tel. Martin has been there for decades and was my choir director years ago….

IMother’s Day is one of those days that can be filled with emotion. Maybe you had a great relationship with your mother. Maybe you didn’t. Maybe your mother got everything right. Maybe she made some big mistakes. Maybe you knew your mother well. Maybe you didn’t. Maybe your mother is still alive. Maybe she died long ago or died too young. Maybe there was/is another woman/person in your life who was like a mother to you for whom you are thankful. Yes. . . Mother’s Day can have a lot of complicated emotions associated with it.

Hopefully, though, one emotion that helps see us through these emotional waters is love – love that is imbued with gratitude for the ones who brought us into this life and tempered with grace for mistakes made and imperfections revealed. …

Last Sunday, a group of BPC members met to discuss our congregation and its many gifts. This was part of the Mission Study process that we have embarked upon as a way of assessing the current and future ministry of Bedford Presbyterian Church.

And the question was asked, “In the last few years, what moment stands out as being an example of our congregation at its best?” We went around the table, talking about a lot of things, but a few of these things were (in no particular order)….