Posts by Pastor

November 5, 2023 ~ All Saints Sunday “A Place at the Table” ~ Rev. Beckie Sweet   Are there any saints here today? Contrary to the popular idea that a saint is a very, very good person, the Christian understanding is that a saint is anyone who is baptized and believes in Jesus. So, let me ask again, any saints here today? [show of hands] Good! We need to practice thinking of ourselves as saints, I think, because we...

October 29, 2023 ~ 22nd Sunday after Pentecost Rev. Beckie Sweet ~ “A Place at the Table”   The Village of Kenmore, where I served just prior to my time here in Ithaca, has many wonderful traditions: celebrating holidays, seasons, local talent, and so much more.  One of the traditions into which I was immersed in June of 2018 is “Dog Days of Kenmore.”  I have not ever lived in a setting where dogs are so cherished and...

October 22, 2023 ~ 21st Sunday after Pentecost “A Place at the Table” ~ Rev. Beckie Sweet   I know that many in this congregation are familiar with the term “Radical Hospitality.”  Many churches studied Radical Hospitality about over decade ago, as part of Bishop Robert Schnase’s “Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations.”  Bishop Schnase begins his chapter-long description of Radical Hospitality with this...

October 15, 2023 ~ 20th Sunday after Pentecost A Place at the Table ~ Rev. Beckie Sweet   It was the week after Thanksgiving of 2010.  I had the privilege of serving as interim pastor of Adirondack Community Church in Lake Placid.  Upon checking my email one morning, I found an encrypted military email sent to me from an undisclosed location in Iraq.  After going through all of the security protocols, I was able to read the...

October 8, 2023 ~ Native American Ministries Sunday Rev. Beckie Sweet              While attending the UM General Conference in 2012, in Tampa, FL, I participated in a Service of Repentance and Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.  Some of the liturgy we have shared this morning was a part of that service.  Similar to the emotional response that I have during Good Friday services each year, that service in 2012 was hard...