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Watching the pandemic of COVID-19 play out has given us an education in so many things. Will it prompt us to wrap our heads around a pandemic of racism? Or shall we debate the semantics of this widespread plague? Racism has profound effects on health and lifespan for people of color. The facts are plain. Racial discrimination explains much about the diseases like diabetes that racial and ethnic…
My Friends, As I end my journey with you, I am grateful for your kind words received through phone calls, emails, and notes. Cathi and I will treasure the beautiful Van Gogh “Sunflower” print I received on my last Sunday. But more than anything, for nearly 20 months I would offer a benediction at the end of the worship service. The truth is that I am the one who week after week was on the rec…
Church Closing Policy In the event of severe weather, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Westminster Nursery School and Kindergarten (WNSK), and Westminster Recreation & Outreach Center (WROC) will follow the schedule of the Upper St. Clair School District. When the school district is closed, all activities, classes, and meetings scheduled for that day are canceled. …
My Friends, Anticipation: God gave us the ability to anticipate, to look forward to something, to expect, to wait for, to hope for. Anticipation is synonymous with Advent. Advent is the season in which we anticipate the birth of Jesus, looking forward, expecting, waiting, hoping. “To anticipate,” says Stanley Ott, “is to have a reason to set your heart on the future.” It’s easy to have a negative kind of a…
Bruce Lancaster came to us in a blizzard, but he took the job anyway. During his time in Pittsburgh he encountered many new experiences: a pandemic, closing the church for worship, communion in the courtyard, conducting session meetings on Zoom. Through all of this, Bruce quickly got to know the friendly people of Westminster Church who opened their hearts to him. He led the congregation with…
On Christmas Eve and throughout the season of Christmas, we give thanks that, in the fullness of time, God’s Word became flesh to live among us, full of grace and truth. We proclaim this good news of great joy for all people: that God has sent us a Savior, the Messiah, the Lord, the Babe in the Manger! Christmas Eve Live! 5:00 p.m. front portico Christmas Eve Live! happens outside, in front of t…
You’ve probably heard it more than a few times: “2020 just won’t let up!” “2020 has been really rough.” “Can we just get past this year?” Well, we’re just about there, but (unless something has taken a big shift since I wrote this) I don’t think that any one of us expects the new year to magically make any of these struggles fade into the past. Let me be clear: This was a very difficult year. We lost friends to ill…
Advent Series The Quiet Politics of Jesus John Burgess, James Henry Snowden Professor of Systematic Theology These seminars invite us to reflect on how the coming of Christ into the world initiates God’s peaceable kingdom. We will look at the “quiet virtues” of the Christian life (truth-telling, caring, and dignity) and the difference they make for our political life. November 29 – The Quiet Politic…
