Told to flee because Herod wants him dead, Jesus keeps right on with his work. Rev. Derek van Gulden remembers a hospital doctor who insisted The Da Vinci Code made seminary unnecessary, and suggests that when people or obstacles block our way, sharing our stories, and hearing theirs, can turn them into companions.

In a Lenten series on the Camino de Santiago, Rev. Derek van Gulden reflects on journeying together, whether on foot, by canoe or by Zoom, and reads the Pilgrim’s Prayer, carried in a plastic bag down the Allagash: if I have not discovered the freedom to be myself, I have arrived nowhere.

On the first Sunday of Lent, with Jesus in the wilderness, Rev. Derek van Gulden opens an old Kenya journal: a lay bishop who carried Jesse Jackson’s ‘Keep hope alive’ on his journey, and a teenage granddaughter who pointed out that we already have all we need for ours. We’re each somebody, and each responsible for keeping hope alive.

As Lent approaches, Rev. Derek van Gulden asks how we’d answer Jesus’ invitation, ‘Come and see’, and the congregation answers back. Drawing on a course on spirituality in the second half of life and a reading from Henri Nouwen, the call is to seek God right now, in this moment, not as we did in the past.

With Rev. Derek away, Rev. Dr. Liz Rice-Smith turns the sermon time over to the congregation: a few minutes of silence, then anyone who wants to may step up and speak. Members, and a visitor, share what sustains them in difficult times.

On annual meeting Sunday, Rev. Derek van Gulden stands with Moses at the burning bush: this sanctuary is holy ground, and so is wherever you are. After the congregation stands still to feel the old sloop sway, Matthew 25 answers the title’s question: be the church, starting with prayer.

With a blizzard on the way and the news feeling hopeless, Rev. Derek van Gulden turns to Micah’s call to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly, and to Isaiah’s promise that when we pour ourselves out for the hungry, our light will rise in the darkness. The work is hard, but even a phone call or a knock on the door spreads that light.

The 271st Annual Meeting of the First Congregational Church of Rockport, Massachusetts will be February 1.

On Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, Rev. Derek van Gulden walks through the marks of King’s beloved community, rooted in agape love and the image of God in every person, and admits it takes hard work. The homework: look in the mirror and say ‘I am beloved’, then start saying it to others, even the ones you disagree with.

When the news is relentless and the stress feels overwhelming, Rev. Derek van Gulden turns to Psalm 23 and Jesus’ easy yoke: God provides, but we still have to take part. Turn off the news for a while, learn to really listen, and try a breath prayer: breathe in peace, breathe out whatever’s in your way.