Welcome

Pastors’ Column

photo showing part of a bible.

Each week one of our pastors or staff members writes a column observing what is going on in our congregation, the Church and the world, and offering reflections on the Christian life and faith. Through this series of columns, we hope to connect your and our story to the enduring story of Christ; to offer pastoral reflections on our ongoing congregational life and mission; to report on news of the Presbyterian Church and Church universal; and to invite further reflection and deeper discipleship. We welcome your comments and suggestions. In other words, our words here are an invitation to continue the conversation.

To-Do Lists

The Rev. Dr. Kirby Lawrence Hill

I am always grateful when elders and deacons are getting ordained and installed (as recently happened at BMPC), and we all get to hear the vows they take. But there is one question that always brings me up short, because it was also a question for me when I got ordained as a pastor over four decades ago. “Will you in your own life seek to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, love your neighbors, and work for the reconciliation of the world?” Okay, on my personal to-do list: an oil change for the car – check; cleaning out the gutters on the house – check; and working for the reconciliation of the world – checkmate! It is a good thing to recognize that we, by ourselves, are lacking the capacity to carry out the expansive ministry to which God calls us.

Celebration of Questions

The Rev. Rebecca Kirkpatrick

This Sunday, we look forward to welcoming 19 young people into adult membership in the life of our congregation. They have worked over the past year in Confirmation class to gain a deeper understanding of the history and basic tenets of the Christian faith, as well as what it means to be an active part of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church.

Gathered Community

The Rev. Dr. Agnes W. Norfleet

Every year during the season of Eastertide, the Common Lectionary appoints scripture readings which lift up the image of God as the Good Shepherd. On the fourth Sunday of Easter, in each year of the lectionary’s three-year cycle, Psalm 23 and a selection from John 10 are offered to the ecumenical community as appropriate readings for the day. Some churches call it Good Shepherd Sunday, the annual reminder of the powerful biblical image of God’s love and care to protect and guide all people.

A Morning of Celebration

The Rev. Rachel Pedersen
My preschool teacher, Jossette Maddison, taught us to sing “Jesus loves me” in French, Spanish, and American Sign Language. We spent hours on the playground singing at the top of our lungs, sometimes merging three languages at once, but never doubting the meaning of the words. I remember the first night at church camp, gathered around a fire singing, “Be Thou My Vision” as the words took on new meaning when it was accompanied only by the sound of a river and the wind winding through aspens. Despite a language barrier, I knew it was “Christ the Lord is Risen Today!” being sung in a packed Catholic church at 6:30 am in Chengdu, China, and I even knew when to sing the “Alleluias!”

Eastertide

The Rev. Dr. Agnes W. Norfleet

There is a common countenance pastors fall into as we approach Easter, and I’m not talking about a thoughtful Lenten discipline of spiritual preparation. It’s the customary response to nearly any request that is not urgent. “Let’s get to that after Easter,” we say. 

Observing Good Friday

Jeffrey Brillhart and the Rev. Andy Greenhow

Without observing Good Friday, one cannot fully appreciate the joy of Easter. On this solemn day, Jesus willingly suffered and died by crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. It was on Good Friday that Jesus broke the bonds of death and sin. We invite you to join us for one of our Good Friday worship services—at noon or at 7:30 p.m.—as we reflect on the depth of Christ’s love and prepare our hearts for the joy of Easter morning.

Holy Week Invites Us

The Rev. Dr. Agnes W. Norfleet

This coming Sunday, we will begin our walk through Holy Week with Jesus toward the cross, and like the long-ago crowds in Jerusalem, our joyful procession will quickly turn toward his passion. The cheerful refrains of “All Glory, Laud, and Honor” will move into the more mournful tunes of “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded.” As Old Testament scholar Kathleen O’Connor has written of Holy Week services, they “somehow perform in word and deed, in song and in silence, in ways beyond mere thought, the most confounding mystery to which we Christians cling – that in the midst of death, God bestows life.”