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In the innocence of childhood, where markers dance on paper and imagination knows no bounds, a child’s drawing can unveil profound truths. At our Maundy Thursday dinner and communion, one of our children proudly handed me this rendering of Jesus, resurrected and radiant. She was so proud to share it with me, addressed to the whole church, and I am honored to have received it on our behalf. Unbeknownst to our young artist, the simplicity of her sketch held a weighty message: death always precedes resurrection. I think this poignant truth about life, death, and new life echoes through many an Easter sermon, searching forRead More →

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That was the question around our dinner table earlier this month.  No pun intended… that is a good question.  Sometimes as Christians we think of what Jesus went through on that fateful Friday – the mockery, flagellation, the carrying of the cross, the crown of thorns and the nails in his wrists and feet – as some utilitarian means to an end. Jesus had to suffer so we could have eternal life. Jesus’s suffering was redeemed by God to free us from sin and death through resurrection. In that way Good Friday has some goodness in it, but not the betrayal and suffering. Let’s moveRead More →

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To see a video of Pastor Rob sharing this information, click here. Friends of the United Methodist Church of Geneva,           It is an honor to be your pastor and to share the good news about what God is doing in and through us as a church, alongside some data that sometimes interrupts my sleep. Like the national address, I want to speak broadly about trends and what I see as your leader while also casting vision for the year and years ahead.           In this address, I want to start with some statistics our Bishop Schwerin has shared recently that makes me anxious. ForRead More →

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One of the many favorite advent decorations in our church is the Chrismon Tree. That’s right — it is a Chrismon Tree, not a Christmas Tree. What is the difference you might ask? I recently discovered a delightful guide to our Chrismon written from 1975, when our Chrismon tree was dedicated. Here is what our dedication booklet says: “The word “Chrismon” is a combination of the Greek letters, Chi and Rho, the monogram for Christ. These monograms were discovered in many places—some on jewelry or utensils, others on doors or buildings, and still more on the walls of the catacombs in Rome. Early Christians usedRead More →