First Congregational Church
Wisdom and Humor for Our Lives
It’s pretty hard these days to find much wisdom just floating around for us to seize and absorb.
(Posted June 2, 2022)
A single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years mere study of books.
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Right now, given the tumultuous state of our own culture, it’s pretty hard these days to find much wisdom just floating around for us to seize and absorb.
Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, which to the average person, may not ring a familiar bell. And yet Pentecost is famous for at least two things. First, it’s the official Birthday of the Church, with believers coming together as one. But second -- and most important for all of us starving for wisdom these days -- it’s the celebration of the Holy Spirit descending upon us and, especially that first Pentecost, literally setting us “ablaze” with hope and a sense of purpose.
Church Services on Sunday
In-Person Service begins at 10 a.m. Facemasks are optional if you are fully vaccinated.
Watch us on Facebook: We livestream our services to Facebook. You may view them live or on demand at www.Facebook.com/DanburyChurch/videos.
On Sunday I will be sharing with you a few real-life contemporary stories of the times when we are sure that the Holy Spirit has taken the wheel and guided us through tumultuous times.
Wisdom from Irma Bombeck
But in the meantime, to relieve the sad and confusing last month we’ve all lived, I want to share some thoughts that are both wise in a practical way, and offer a little humorous look at our funny human nature. Those thoughts belong to the late Irma Bombeck, who can teach us a lot about ourselves. Her words of wisdom:
- No one ever died from sleeping in an unmade bed.
- If you can't make it better, you can laugh at it.
- It seemed rather incongruous that in a society of super sophisticated communication, we often suffer from a shortage of listeners.
- It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.
- Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died.
- Success is outliving your failures.
And finally some wisdom for us all:
- If I had my life to live over again, I would have waxed less and listened more. ... I would have cried and laughed less while watching television ... and more while watching real life. ... But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute of it ... look at it and really see it ... try it on ... live it ... exhaust it ... and never give the minute back until there was nothing left of it.
See you on Sunday for the Pentecost Birthday Service.
Volunteers Give from the Heart
Volunteers make their communities better.
(Posted Jun 10, 2022)
“Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain loving one another.” -- Erma Bombeck
I’ve just returned from the funeral service and reception for our beloved Ed Hamlin. While I was there, I noted that If anyone ever needed to learn what volunteering was all about, this would be the perfect example. This coming Sunday we honor our choir and volunteers for what they do every day of the year for all of us.
Church Services on Sunday
In-Person Service begins at 10 a.m. Facemasks are optional if you are fully vaccinated.
Watch us on Facebook: We livestream our services to Facebook. You may view them live or on demand at www.Facebook.com/DanburyChurch/videos.
Volunteering Is a Gift from the Heart
The beautiful thing about volunteers is that what they do is done from the heart, from the perspective that every person has something to offer, and offer freely, for the benefit of the greater community to which they belong.
You see, the people who give of themselves realize that they can be a gift to others.
For some, the gift is of their obvious special talent, as is the case for our choir members. They realize that they, and only they have the ability to penetrate the very spirits of the people listening to them with such beauty, to ignite the flame of faith in people.
Sometimes the giving, as in the case of the reception for Ed Hamlin’s family, requires much planning. The volunteers have a vision for running an event and feeding the friends and family of our community at a time of loss. The best condiment for a reception menu is our own warmth and care.
Most of the time, for those of us who can’t actually carry a tune, we share of ourselves in some very different ways. But the gift is ALWAYS a gift of being personally present.
Volunteers Make an Impact
The vital but often invisible aspect of many aspects of volunteering can be large or small.
It’s being there before services to open the church, put out the flags, and sometimes prepare communion.
It’s hours knitting at night so that we have prayer shawls to give out to people living in times of crisis.
It’s carving enough time to serve on the Church Council, or managing the finances for the church.
It’s spending part of one’s weekend running the Thrift Shop, sorting and selling and displaying the donated wares.
It’s running events that attract children and adults through music, so that they and their families can discover a community that believes God is still speaking. Indeed, God speaks through their actions, the gift of their time, and their wisdom.
Volunteering is giving of yourself, above and beyond what anyone might expect of you. As Elizabeth Andrew says, ““Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.”
For each and every one of you who have given the gift of your heart, I am truly grateful.
The Small, Calm Voice of Truth
Change happens, but only with effort.
(Posted June 16, 2020)
“Satan is screaming lies over us all day long. And God whispers the truth in a still, small voice. So often the voice we listen to most is the one we hear loudest.” -- Steven Curtis Chapman, author
This Sunday features one of my favorite stories of healing anywhere in the Bible, because it’s so fitting for the disturbing times we live in. Jesus steps out onto the shore opposite Galiliee, and right into the cemetery where a tormented, howling man runs naked between the graves, as he had for years.
Church Services on Sunday
In-Person Service begins at 10 a.m. Facemasks are optional if you are fully vaccinated.
Watch us on Facebook: We livestream our services to Facebook. You may view them live or on demand at www.Facebook.com/DanburyChurch/videos.
With a physician’s calmness Jesus speaks to the man, identifies the “demons” possessing him, and leads the town madman to wholeness and sanity. Meanwhile a herd of swine was infected by the displaced evil spirits. They run screaming, headlong into the sea.
Hearing the commotion, the townsfolk hurry to the cemetery. There they find Jesus calmly chatting with the once-possessed man, who is completely in his right mind.
Now, if you were one of the townspeople, what would you do next? Congratulate the man and thank Jesus? Nope. They ordered Jesus to leave their town. They were afraid of the light Jesus had brought the man. Jesus had changed the order of things.
The Bravery of Changing Your Mind
It’s sad but true. Human nature doesn’t change without a lot of effort. Just as it was nearly 2,000 years ago, people prefer to listen to the howls of Satan rather than the small, calm voice of truth. They would rather continue on believing lies than admit to themselves that they have been taken in by evil.
When God speaks to us today, in a still small voice or in silence, it’s up to us to accept truthful things and help dispel ignorance.
This Jazz Sunday we will talk about truth and the bravery needed to change our minds and work to bring the truth to others. We will also talk about the ways fathers play a key role in teaching us how to be truth seekers.
Information
First Congregational Church
164 Deer Hill Ave.
Danbury, CT 06810
Est. 1696
Phone: (203) 744-6177
Email: office@danburychurch.org
Office Hours:
Monday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Tuesday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Wednesday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Thursday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Friday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Thrift Shop Hours:
Saturday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Sunday Worship:
Sunday 10:00 a.m.–11 a.m.