Scuttlebutt

Join us for Holy Week services!

The 2024 Annual Meeting of the First Congregational Church of Rockport was held January 28, 2024 beginning at 11:00am. The meeting was hybrid, with an in-person meeting in the sanctuary and others participating remotely via Zoom. Here are links to the documents...

"Never delete the rainbow. Never delete the rainbow." - 10 year old boy atop Sulphur Mountain in Canada's Banff National Park.

If, then, there is any comfort in Christ, any consolation from love, any partnership in the Spirit, any tender affection and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

The passage from Isaiah that Jesus read in Nazareth summarized the essence of his faith. Because Luke shared the story of Jesus' mission of good news to the poor and the release of those captive and oppressed, Luke spread the social teachings of Jesus into nascent Christianity. New England fall colors suggest hearts aflame with faith.

The sun rises over all humanity like the love of God for creation and all people. Jesus opened up ethical monotheism that Simeon foreshadowed in his prayer of dedication and prediction. The ethical dimension even without the monotheism is a compass for many people. Therefore the teachings of Jesus are not just for people of theistic faith. Bridge building among people with diverse perspectives is possible.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, poetically intuits God's ultimate reversals of unfairness into justice. Luke the implied author of the Gospel of Luke understood hearts and minds. It has even been suggested by biblical scholar, Mark Reasoner, that Luke could read minds. Therefore Luke's ability to understand Mary's thoughts and write for her anchors her poem/song, the Magnificat in history as well as in theological story telling..

Micah was a poet-prophet who preached justice, kindness, and walking humbly with God.

Psalm 104, a stand alone poem, is an ancient affirmation of the goodness of creation. Regard for animals connects past and present.

This blog, Bit by Bit Biblical Poems, succinctly explores biblical poems that are related to contemporary religious literature such as hymns, benedictions, prayers, and statements of faith. Biblical poetry embraces the ineffable experienced in the past and present. Ancient literature can bloom anew. The motto is: Bit by bit, insights lit.”