Pastor Brian's Blog

 Sometimes we just want to get away from it all: an escape from the daily grind, a vacation in a fascinating location, a remote fishing trip.   But God has other plans for us.   In August, Pastor Brian will be leading a 4-week series called “Gone Fishing.”   This series explores the story of Jonah and God’s persistent grace. Jonah is a reluctant prophet.   He wants to go in the opposite direction God wants him to go.   Harboring feelings of resentment, Jonah does not want to speak to his enemies on behalf of a merciful God.   He prefers a God of judgment and just desserts.   Jonah knows that God is “a merciful and compassionate God, very patient, full of faithful love, and willing not to destroy” (Jonah 4:2b, CEB).   The story of Jonah’s attempted escape from God reminds us that no matter how hard we may try, we cannot run from God’s presence.   We learn how God confronts our stubbornness and gives us anot...

  I believe that Trinity Church is “a welcoming community of compassion and faith.”   Earlier this year, I reasserted that vision as part of my pastoral response to the Traditional Plan approved by the General Conference in February, which requires harsh penalties for same-sex weddings and LGBTQ ordination.   Trinity’s Church Council has reaffirmed our commitment as a reconciling congregation and the welcoming statement we adopted: “Our welcome and compassion extend to all who seek God, regardless of race, age, ethnicity, economic status, education, family structure, religious background, physical or mental ability, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression.” However, being a church that welcomes people requires something more than having a list of people who we do not judge or would not turn away.   According to Robert Schnase, Christian hospitality refers to the “active desire to invite, welcome, receive, and care for those who are stran...

If you know anything about the Medici family, you probably know they supported the arts during the Italian Renaissance.  Artists such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci enjoyed the patronage of the Medici family.  The Medicis also commissioned Piero del Pollaiuolo and Sandro Botticelli to paint The Seven Virtues, seen in the picture.  The seven life-size panels decorated the Mercatanzia high courtroom in Florence, a place where trade disputes and financial matters were settled.  The beautiful enthroned women personify faith, hope, and love (theological virtues) and courage, prudence, temperance, and justice (cardinal virtues).  The size and placement of the panels indicate the importance of virtue in such “worldly” economic matters as commerce and banking.  The figures in The Seven Virtues are wearing clothes that were typical for noble women in fifteenth-century Florence.  It is the artists’ way of declaring the importance of vi...