Sunday, April 13, 2025

Dear Friends, 

This weekend, the annual Men’s Retreat will take place.  More than 20 men from Talmadge Hill will gather at St. Birgitta’s in Rowayton.  

Together, we will explore our attachments – positive and negative – and how those attachments are helping or hurting us.  Many attachments are positive.  I think of our senses, the human body, the human mind, the human heart.  I think of the joy of a meaningful vocation, the blessing of friendships, the gift of children.  

Yet our attachments are full of shadows and potential harm.  Even the intrinsically positive things can become something unhealthy, something held too tightly.  On the darker side, we must look at the addictions, the old wounds, the chronic fears, the critical voices, the threat of victimhood.  On the surface, it would seem any reasonable person would let go of the things which threaten to hold us back.  But the human psyche does not naturally let go.  It prefers what it knows.  

So beginning tonight, we will gather.  We will attempt to be open with each other.  We will attempt to be vulnerable.  We will attempt to listen, to practice nonjudgment, and to encourage one another.  Hopefully by the end of the weekend, we will find the courage to let go of what is NOT serving us.  Letting go can be scary.  It presents an uncertain future.  It is an act of faith.  

But for all of us, the future is covered in uncertainty.  It invites faith.  And what lies beyond our letting go?  Well, we do not know.  Yet I am confident it’s more of the SELF that God created you to be.   

See you on Sunday, 

Carter       

Sunday, April 6, 2025

Dear Friends, 

As per usual, I have many things on my mind.  In all of these things, I am left to wonder ‘how our faith informs our opinions and our convictions.’  

One topic has been the pros and cons of flying the American flag at a church.  People have strong feelings about it.  For many, it is a supremely important symbol.  That makes sense to me.  It looks back to the ideals and aspirations of a nation that wrote about the equality of all citizens and every individual’s right to pursue happiness.  It intends to capture our commitment to freedom of speech and the freedom to practice the religion of our choice (or no religion at all).  At its best, the flag favors progress.  Seen in this light, the flag has nothing to do with a government’s approval ratings.  It is not a partisan symbol.  

On the other side of the argument (at least for me personally), I wonder if a church should ever fly a national flag.  A patriotic attachment to one’s country and a faithful commitment to Christianity are not the same thing.  This does not shed a negative light on patriotism.  It simply understands that the church is a completely separate entity which in many instances may not share the same values or the same desired outcomes as the government.  While one cannot speculate on Jesus’ position on policy over the last 50 years, it would be safe to say he was likely horrified by any number of things.  I couldn’t say what is right.  I would favor flying it on certain national holidays.  

The other thing on my mind is Cheryl.  She has been such a faithful friend.  Even more importantly, she has been such a faithful minister at Talmadge Hill.  While carrying another demanding job and pursuing a doctoral degree, she has been generous to a fault.  She is thoughtful.  She is grounded.  She is mature.  She is reliable.  She is kind.  And now, she faces an uncertain next chapter in her life.  In all likelihood, it will be difficult – physically, emotionally and spiritually.  As such, it is our time to be prayerful, thoughtful and generous to a fault.  As ambiguous as certain things can be, this is NOT one of them.   

Lent continues to unfold.  Let’s stay focused together on what matters the most.  

Carter         

Sunday, March 16, 2025

Dear Friends, 

I have thought a lot about the subset of individuals who believe politics should be avoided in church.  I can imagine that their motivations are good.  They might be thinking, “Politics are so divisive.  Let’s avoid more divisiveness.”  They might also be thinking, “The noise in the world is so loud.  Can’t we come to church and quiet the noise?”  I get it.  

At the same time, I feel compelled to say that Christianity is not on board with avoidance.  Christianity has always spoken to the Emperor, to the nature of power, and to an empire’s (or nation’s) treatment of its most vulnerable citizens.  To understand Christianity is to understand its voice.  Christianity is not a private and personal matter.  It is a private, personal and public matter.  It always has been.  It always will be.  

I am reminded of the recent film about Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  He was a preacher in Hitler’s Germany.  He was active in the German Reformed Church.  The official church at the time had two pronounced positions on politics: 1) be quiet and avoid talking about it, or 2) bless the ruling authorities for they must have our best interests in mind.  Now I am not suggesting that we are living in Hitler’s Germany.  But I am concerned that we somehow prefer a church that stays quiet on controversial matters, a church that gives the benefit of the doubt to politicians who rarely, if ever, have the best interests of the populace in mind.  

This week, I landed on an article about G.K. Chesterton, an English philosopher and theologian.  It reads: “Chesterton devoted a great part of his life to trying to bring social and economic justice to the world. And his emphasis was always on trying to get people to think clearly, to see first principles. And Chesterton understood that ultimately every political question is also a theological question. His mantra was this: ‘We cannot be vague about the power of Love.  For that is what we are willing to fight for and die for.’”

Lots to think about in these trying times.  Let’s not be quiet.

Carter       

Sunday, March 9, 2025

Dear Friends,

The liturgical year, like the calendar year, has seasons.  They tend to mirror the seasons of the Northern Hemisphere because (with all due respect to our brothers and sisters in the Southern Hemisphere) early Christianity spread north and east faster than it spread south or west.  We have just entered the season of Lent. 

The word "Lent" comes from the Old English word lencten, which means spring and is related to the lengthening of daylight during this season. This directly connects Lent to the idea of renewal, transformation, and the transition from winter into new life—both in nature and in the soul. It has been a cold winter, so this is such welcome news!  In addition, this aligns with the deeper spiritual themes of Lent: reflection, repentance, and preparation for resurrection and renewal at Easter.

So where does that leave us? Is it an alarm clock for our soul? A spiritual reset? A retreat? A reorientation? A chance to run away from it all?  Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. And Yes.
Lent calls us to a different way of being in the world. We acknowledge that we are finite and mortal—yes, we are dust. But we are beloved dust, destined not for destruction but for resurrection. The work of Lent is not a traditional self-improvement project or a turn towards toxic positivity.  It is a deep surrender to the transforming Grace of God.

So come with us as we journey into the wilderness with Jesus and explore the wilderness of our own lives. It is here that the mercy and Grace of God can enter us and shape our souls. It is my prayer that our inner pilgrimage will help us greet the arrival of Easter on April 20 ready to be transformed into new life with Jesus and feel all the joy that Easter brings.

Love,
Cheryl

Sunday, February 23, 2025

Dear Friends,

At Talmadge Hill, we talk a great deal about love. From our mission work, to our worship, to the rituals and rhythms in which we interact, love is at the core. It is all rooted, of course, in God’s love for us and the constant invitation to show love in return. It is my fervent hope as a minister that everyone who attends Sunday Worship, everyone who participates in our mission work, everyone who participates in Bible Study, Contemplative Prayer or Music, or any of our other offerings connects deeper to God’s love at the core of it all.
 
Yet Jesus is always speaking of another way that the world could be and another way that love could be. Jesus speaks to the love that is outside of our control and the love that does not feel natural to give or receive.  And Jesus always hints that when we consider what it means to live and love differently in the world, we, and the world we live in, are transformed.
 
This Sunday’s Gospel presents us with one of Jesus’ most challenging teachings: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you…” (Luke 6:27-28). These words invite us to consider what it means to rethink love and compassion, shaped by the transforming power of God’s love, rather than the logic of retribution that so often shapes our world.
 
And at its core, radical love is hope in action. It reminds us that even in challenging times, love for everyone – enemies included  –  can create meaning, connection, and light. The world needs this love and light. 
 
God is a god of surprises and possibility.  What can a radical approach to sharing your love open for you? Jesus is always speaking about another way the world can be.  Can you help create this world? I promise your efforts will offer grace not only to you, but everyone you encounter.
 
I hope you will join us this Sunday and connect to this core element of Jesus’s teachings.
 
Love,
Cheryl