From Our Pastors – October 20

Rev. Megan
Berkowitz

Rev. Amy
Clark Feldman

Pastor Megan
October 20, 2023


Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14

Many of you are familiar with this prayer, though perhaps not its source in the Psalms. I and many other pastors offer it at the start of each sermon, praying that what we share might not be for our own glory but pleasing to our God whom we serve, and useful for those gathered.

But the Psalms were written as corporate hymns, to be sung by the whole congregation. This prayer isn’t a particular one for pastors or religious leaders. Set in the context of the entire Psalm, it’s a prayer that whoever speaks it might reveal the glory of God in the world, just as the heavens and earth, night and day, all that is and all that will be all testify to God’s power and goodness. God’s word is more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey, the Psalmist writes, and then asks God to help them follow more closely.

I wonder what it might be like to offer this prayer at the start of the day each day, to set an intention to be humble in thought and speech. I wonder whether such a practice might make it easier to think before speaking, to be curious and compassionate, to speak and act in solidarity with others. I wonder whether it might help us to reveal God’s goodness in a world that needs it.

Peace,
Megan

Past Posts


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  • From Our Pastors: October 27, 2023
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    I have found myself officiating at a lot of friends’ weddings in the last few years (as many young clergy do), and somehow, they are all interfaith, intercultural, or otherwise marriages between two people with differing backgrounds, beliefs, and practices. Learn More
  • From Our Pastors – October 20
    Pastor Megan
    October 20, 2023
    Many of you are familiar with this prayer, though perhaps not its source in the Psalms. I and many other pastors offer it at the start of each sermon, praying that what we share might not be for our own glory but pleasing to our God whom we serve, and useful for those gathered. Learn More
  • From Our Pastors – October 13
    Pastor Amy
    October 13, 2023
    Beloved, I had another reflection planned for today, but it has been hard for me, as I’m sure it has been for you, to turn my heart and mind away from the heartbreak of the war in Israel and Palestine. My prayers have been especially with my Jewish family, Learn More
  • From Our Pastors – October 6
    Pastor Megan
    October 6, 2023
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    Pastor Megan
    September 29, 2023
    The first Sunday in October is celebrated as World Communion Sunday all throughout the world. We celebrate the ties that bind us to one another, as Christians, even in the face of our many differences. When we do so, we live into the prayer Jesus offered for his disciples and for those of us who would learn from them, throughout the many generations: “that they may all be one.” Learn More
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    Pastor Megan
    September 22, 2023
    As this hits your inboxes, I am flying back from nearly a week in Memphis at the United Church of Christ’s Next Generation Leadership Initiative, or NGLI. I have been blessed to learn alongside a cohort of 13 other ministers in their 20s and 30s this week. Learn More