In some ways, this Advent and Christmas will be like every other year. Advent will begin four Sundays before Christmas. We will light Advent wreaths, and remember how the light of God came to be with us in Jesus Christ. We will look forward to our Lord’s advent, anticipating that great day when we will… Read More
We have never seen a year like 2020. Unless you were around at the outbreak of the Spanish Flu, you have not lived through a global pandemic like COVID-19. And if you were alive in 1918, you don’t remember it today. 2020 brought the largest wildfire season in California history, burning more than 4% of… Read More
Dear Friends, Back in May, the session of Knox Presbyterian Church formed a re-entry task force. The group was asked to explore how and when we might safely return to utilizing the Knox campus. At the task force’s request, a survey was then sent out in early August, asking you about your experience with online… Read More
Suppose you are called to some grand mission. You want to end racism or see the homeless housed. You long to proclaim the gospel to people who have never heard it before. Defense of the immigrant, the orphan, and the widow is your heart’s call. Or you yearn to bring renewal to a declining congregation… Read More
Juneteenth has become a popular holiday in the United States, marking the day enslaved people were liberated in the United States. While the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued in 1863, it was more than two years later — June 19th, 1865 — that slavery’s abolition was finally announced in Texas. With that, the proclamation reached… Read More
A recent Saturday Night Live sketch depicts Zoom church. The fictional Mount Methuselah Tower of Prayer Baptist Church is conducting its Mother’s Day service online. And things do not go smoothly. Loud and sporadic “amen” responses make it nearly impossible for the pastor to preach. Background noises take center stage, like the sounds of parents disciplining… Read More
Many of us are facing the challenge of establishing new daily rhythms. Working from home means shorter commutes. Homeschooling and Zoom karate classes can happen anytime. We lack the normal ways to mark our days. Saturday is not much different from Tuesday without leaving for work or planned activities. Weddings and birthday parties happen on… Read More
On February 14-16, 23 of our middle school and high school students, together with 5 volunteer adult leaders, traveled up the mountain to Big Bear Lake for Winter Retreat 2020. The theme of the weekend was prayer. My hope for the students was that they would have the opportunity – through worship, spiritual practices, and small… Read More