Dear Friends, On Sunday, April 25, hundreds of thousands of freedom riders will journey to Washington, D.C. to march for freedom of choice.

Dear Friends, Twenty years ago today I was in the midst of an intense process of meeting with members of this congregation who would vote yes or no on the Ministerial Search Committee’s recommendation to call me to serve as senior minister.

Dear Friends, What a wonderful gift Mel Gibson has given to us. Talk about unintended consequences!

Dear Friends, Today I did something very unusual for a Monday afternoon-I went to the movies. Even more unusual-unique, actually–I went with a dozen clergy colleagues from our Westport-Weston clergy group. We went, of course, to see Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.

Dear Friends, A few months ago we had an auction to raise money for A Better Chance. The ABC program has been up and running for a couple of years. We bought a house in Westport for the scholars and house parents, not far from Staples High School, where they are studying.

Dear Friends, The sermon, ‘In Praise of Christianity,’ was postponed because of the January 18 Sunday morning snowstorm. We’ve re-scheduled it for February 29-Annual Meeting Sunday.

Dear Friends, Old Man Winter has gotten into some bad habits. He’s been taking time off during the week and making weekend calls on a regular basis, disappointing kids who would like a day off from school, and upsetting clergy who have labored long to prepare the perfect sermon.

Dear Friends, I’m often surprised when I discover some new meanings in old things, especially when I’m standing in the lectern or pulpit, reading something with which I’m very familiar, but hearing the words in a new way.

Dear Friends, The holiday season has three distinct characteristics, like the isosceles triangle shape of the Christmas tree. The star at the top is the ideal part of the season-wonderful symbolic stories and poetic images that sink deep down to touch the place ‘where the spirit meets the bone.’

Dear Friends, The weather gods got confused. It’s understandable. Don’t put the blame on them. They’ve been listening to Bing Crosby croon about a white Christmas since mid-November. The Friday following Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the year. “Oh, you better watch out.”