These letters from Pastor Harry and church leaders explore the challenges we face as people of faith in a complicated and fearful world, not unlike the world that Paul faced, and not unlike the world that Dr. King faced down.
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March 29, 2025
Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places:
Greetings in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ!
When I get discouraged about church, Christianity, this present day . . .
Yes, you can answer this. Don’t wait for me. But while you are thinking and since I posed the question let me tell you how I would answer. I read John Philip Newell books. The latest one, The Great Search, has been the subject of our current Adult Education series that wraps up this Sunday.
Why John Philip Newell, you may ask? He takes me to a new plateau when thinking about religion, and Christianity in particular, and how it is evolving from creeds, catechisms, and theologies to deep consciousness about the earth and our place on it.
I was trained by theologians who taught us how to think about God. John Philip has opened doors to me on how to experience God.
Christianity has long clung to doctrines like Original Sin which is not in the Bible. John Philip has introduced me to Matthew Fox who was kicked out of the Roman Catholic Church for, among other things, lifting up Original Blessing. Blessing feels better to me.
Sin, judgment, wrath, superiority, exclusivity, and self-righteousness have long clung to Christianity through the centuries but writers like John Philip have lifted up their opposites. What if every faith community, every church, was known instead for forgiveness, understanding, joy, inclusivity, and humility?
When churches split and argue, and people leave shaking their heads and go away discouraged, and joy has not been heard or seen for ages, I understand why churches are struggling. I always thought there was more and through John Philip I can see it. I can see why I wanted to be a pastor in the first place.
It was to be part of a diverse community of people who are on a journey together to experience deeply the gifts of earth and soul, home and healing.
The universe connects all of us in marvelous ways. Let mountains sing their songs. Let animals show us their many gifts and birds inspire us with flight. Let wonder enable us to see each person in the world as sister, brother, friend. Let us grow quickly tired of division and put away violence and war forever. Let our journey lead us deeper into wholeness and divine love shared with all. Let us tonight adore the moon of the night sky.
This was my vision and hope when I felt called to be a pastor many years ago. The vision holds me still, despite the Church never quite living up to Jesus’ ways and too often silent in blistering times when our voice is sorely needed.
Despite all the times I have felt discouraged, I have had friends bolster me, like John Philip and his writings, like all the saints and their stories through the churches I have served, like you and all the saints in this place, this day.
And I am deeply grateful.
Grace and peace,
Harry
Recent Letters
March 22, 2025
Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places:
Greetings in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ!
When I think about it I am a bit amused and somewhat surprised.
I never imagined in my early years that I would ever give a sermon, let alone keep giving them for forty-one years! By my rough calculation I have given 1600 sermons and logged around 13,000 hours preparing them.
I cringe thinking about my first sermons and still cringe when I can’t figure out a way to make scripture come alive and grab hold of us and take us to a new address. That’s on me, not scripture. It has plenty of power and resources to change lives.
March 15, 2025
Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places:
Greetings in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ!
Here I am, Lord.
Have you ever said this? I know we sing the hymn a few times a year with this refrain, but have you ever thought more about what it means?
Be careful if you do. Ask a prophet, any of them, and you’ll learn that a call from God is not all sunbeams on a golden field or fluffy clouds spelling out your name. (Where did we ever get that idea?) Instead, God’s call comes in times of spiritual desolation, religious corruption, political danger, and social upheaval.
March 8, 2025
Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places:
Greetings in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ!
Jesus wept.
If you want to impress your friends with reciting Bible verses this is the one. It is easy to memorize, yes, but that’s where easy ends. Jesus weeps and it’s hard to watch. The fully divine don’t weep, do they? But the fully human do, I know, those who feel deeply the plight of the human spirit trying to survive in a world turned upside down and sideways.
March 1, 2025
Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places:
Greetings in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ!
Do I sacrifice my corn dog and let my coke splash to the ground?
Let me back up. It must be told that after all the games I have watched in stadiums across the country, I am yet to catch a foul ball at a major league baseball game.
I came oh-so-close twice. The first when I was twelve and came down with a fever the Sunday I was to go to a Dodger game with my friend and his parents and they gave my ticket to their uncle who sat in my seat. I get a call that afternoon saying that the uncle caught a foul ball! Came right to him, my friend told me. Right to my seat.
February 22, 2025
Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places:
Greetings in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ!
The forgiveness of sins.
Who would have thought this one small phrase could be traced back to the earliest books of the Bible, found in the narratives of cultures ancient and now, and has perpetually occupied the souls and pews of Christians in Sunday worship and in prayer? It has and still does.
Before I go any further let me state plainly and simply we all need forgiveness. We’ve all done things our moms would disapprove of. …
February 15, 2025
Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places:
Greetings in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ!
What crisis was it today?
Every night after my brothers and I were in bed, mom and dad would sit in the kitchen and ask that very question. The country was coming apart at the seams, and so was Pasadena. The Vietnam war was at its brutal worst, the civil rights movement was splintering following the assassination of Dr. King, Robert Kennedy was killed just a few miles from us, controversy around Angela Davis was driving people from the Presbyterian Church, Pasadena was roiled by racial strife, smog filled the San Gabriel valley,,,
February 8, 2025
Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places:
Greetings in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ!
John Buchanan died this week. Father of Diane, father-in-law to Rick, friend to many, leader in the Church. So much more.
For twenty-seven years he was senior pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago, one of the flagship churches of the Presbyterian Church (USA), 6,000 members strong when he retired. A “light in the city” was its tagline, and it really was. More than just the city of Chicago, Fourth Pres and John’s light shone across the country and throughout our denomination.
February 1, 2025
Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places:
Greetings in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ!
There is some confusion of late (2,000 years or so) of what it means to be Christian.
Let’s start with the basics, and a familiar adage: “When Jesus told us to love our enemies he didn’t mean for us to kill them.” Or hurt, berate, belittle, threaten, oppress, frighten, or imprison them.
When Paul wrote in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ” he meant it and we should stop making edits or excuses.
Our culture has trouble with the “other.” Jesus didn’t.
January 25, 2025
Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places:
Greetings in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ!
The Hidden Gospel.
This is the title of a book by Neil Douglas-Klotz which looks at the familiar words of Jesus, not in English or Greek but in Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke. Words and themes jump out at the reader which they might otherwise remain hidden in our familiar translations, words like unity, breath, holiness, light, wisdom, diversity, soul, completeness, and love. This was Jesus’ vocabulary.
We know it as the Gospel and it showed up this week. …