Posts by Pastor

April 20, 2025 ~ EASTER Drink from the Fountain of Grace ~ Rev. Beckie Sweet   As an older child, I came to appreciate the “contemporary” music of Richard Avery and Donald Marsh (Avery & Marsh).  One of the songs I loved to sing went like this: Every morning is Easter morning from now on. Every day’s resurrection day, the past is over and gone. Goodbye guilt, goodbye fear, good riddance! Hello Lord, Hello sun! I am one of the...

April 13, 2025 ~ Palm Sunday Drink from the Fountain of Grace ~ Rev. Beckie Sweet   The concert impresario, Sol Hurok, liked to say that Marian Anderson hadn’t simply grown great, she had grown great simply.  He says: “A few years ago a reporter interviewed Marian and asked her to name the greatest moment in her life.  I was in her dressing room at the time and was curious to hear the answer.  I knew she had many big moments to...

April 6, 2025 ~ Fifth Sunday in Lent Rev. Beckie Sweet ~ Drink from the Fountain of Grace   During this season of Lent, our worship services have centered around the theme “Drink from the Fountain of Grace” with each service focusing on the image of a CUP from which we would draw that drink.  We started on Ash Wednesday with the Cup of Fasting, and then proceeded with the Broken Cup, the Cup of Living Water, the Cup You Choose,...

March 30, 2025 ~ Fourth Sunday in Lent Rev. Beckie Sweet ~ Drink from the Fountain of Grace   IDENTITY.  Our identities are sometimes complicated to define.  As Jami mentioned a couple of months ago, when folks at any of our U.M. Conferences go to the microphone to speak, we are first supposed to identify ourselves.  According to the prescribed procedures, I would say, “I am Rebekah Sweet, clergy, female, white, and no longer a...

March 23, 2025 ~ Third Sunday in Lent Drink From the Fountain of Grace Rev. Beckie Sweet   When my son, Paul, was a toddler, I had a concern because he was yet to begin talking.  There was a little girl in my congregation who was only three months older than Paul, who could sing two verses to the song “Deep and Wide” without missing a word.  But Paul didn’t say much more than “Mom” and “Cookie.”  Then, when he was a little over...