Rev. Megan
Berkowitz
Rev. Amy
Clark Feldman
Pastor Megan
November 24, 2023
“You seed light into righteous ones, joy into the heart of the virtuous.”
Psalm 97:11
I love the image of God seeding light and joy into the hearts of Her people that this Psalm offers us; it seems to me to be a kind of extension of the metaphor in last Sunday’s scripture describing God as the grape-growing farmer. God isn’t just putting one kind of fruit into the world; She’s planting lots of good things to nourish Her people!
This Psalm also brings to my mind how we are partners with God in bringing goodness into the world. If God seeds light and joy, then we are the ones who tend the soil so that those seeds might grow. Righteousness and virtue, the Psalm tells us, helps those seeds grow. What else might help the seeds of light and joy grow in us? Faith, grace, love, forgiveness, and, appropriate for this week, gratitude, all come to mind for me.
Our theme for Advent this year comes from the very beginning of John’s Gospel: “Light shines in the darkness.” Like a little candle casting its light out into the world, like a seed pushing forth a sprout, the coming of Christ’s presence in the world and in our lives brings forth goodness. We can partner with God in bringing forth that goodness. Let’s join together in tending the seeds of light and joy that are so needed in this world.
Peace,
Megan
Past Posts
- From Our Pastors
Rev. Megan Berkowitz
May 9, 2025 I had a lot of interest in the prayer structure I shared during last Sunday’s worship, so I wanted to write it out for you here. If you’re feeling like you’re not sure how to pray or what to say, sometimes a little scaffolding can help get you started. Don’t think that this is the ‘right’ way to pray though — any way to pray that leads you to open your heart to God is the right way! Learn More - From Our Pastors: May 2, 2025Rev. Megan Berkowitz
May 2, 2025 There is very little in the Gospels that tells of Jesus after his resurrection and before his ascension. This period gets 5 weeks in the liturgical calendar, but only one or two stories in each Gospel at most. As Pastor Amy shared in her sermon last Sunday, after the Resurrection, Jesus spends some time eating with his disciples, even sharing a grilled fish breakfast on the beach with them one morning. Learn More - From Our Pastors: April 25, 2025Rev. Megan Berkowitz
April 25, 2025 On Easter morning, we sang the hymn “Now the Green Blade Rises,” with its refrain: “Love is come again like wheat that rises green.” While it raises questions for me every year about how much pronunciation has changed in the last hundred years (did been/green and again/lain really rhyme?), it so beautifully captures the confluence of Easter and the coming of Spring in the Northern hemisphere. Learn More - From Our Pastors: April 18, 2025Rev. Megan Berkowitz
April 18, 2025 Throughout Lent, we have been Making Space: for compassion, humility, discernment, generosity, and prayer. As we move from yesterday evening’s Maundy Thursday Tenebrae service, sharing around the table and recognizing the coming darkness, to Sunday morning’s joyful worship, we are given one last, sacred opportunity to reflect in this year’s Lenten season. Learn More - From Our Pastors: April 11, 2025Rev. Amy Clark Feldman
April 11, 2025 This coming Sunday begins our walk through Holy Week. The story of this week is at the very core of our faith. We’ll travel with Jesus to confront the powers of this world that still cause so much suffering – injustice, hubris, abuse of power, scarcity, violence, and fear. Learn More - From Our Pastors: April 4, 2025Rev. Amy Clark Feldman
April 4, 2025 This Sunday is our final Sunday before Palm Sunday and Holy Week. There is one week left before Jesus, with boldness and intention, arrives in Jerusalem to take a stand against forces of corruption, oppression, violence, fear, and hate. Learn More - From Our Pastors: March 28, 2025Rev. Megan Berkowitz
March 28, 2025 We’re drawing to the close of our Stewardship season for this year, and we’ll mark Stewardship Sunday in worship this week with a testimony and a focus in scripture and sermon on generosity. Learn More - From Our Pastors: March 21 2025Rev. Megan Berkowitz
March 21, 2025 I gave up social media for Lent this year. I’ve tried it in past years, and it never quite stuck. I always found reasons to log back in: an urgent question for a group of colleagues, a video of Rosey that was too good not to share, or even just an accidental slip. It’s sticking this year, though. Learn More
