First Congregational Church of West Brookfield, UCC

06/13/2026

06/12/2026

Good morning, Friends, Each Sunday morning at 10:30 we gather together in worship here at First Congregational Church of West Brookfield UCC to celebrate God's unconditional love for all God's children. Whether you live in the area and are seeking a church home, or are just "passing through" our area, we would welcome you to come and worship, and celebrate, with us! For today I'll include below this note a devotional moment based on Paul's letter to the Philippians, taken from Sojourners' Verse and Voice daily installment. Wishing grace and peace to all, Pastor Doug

Verse of the day
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
- Philippians 4:1

Voice of the day
Our struggle is practical. It’s high and holy, but it’s right down here on earthly ground. So let’s fight the good fight of faith. Let’s do what we have to do, and know why we’re fighting the battle.
- Rev. Dr. Prathia Hall

Prayer of the day
"God, we are blessed to be called to be your hands and feet in this world. Let the site of our works become as distinct as holy ground. Amen."

06/11/2026

Good morning, Friends, As the days warm up and the sun shines brightly, I'll post below this note a short prayer as a devotional moment for this beautiful late spring day. Wishing blessings to all, Pastor Doug

"Long warm days...
The pace of life slows...
A time for picnics and rest in the shade...
Loving God, help me to rest awhile
in the cooling shade of your presence.
Slow down my restless heart and
fill me with
gentle compassion for all your people. Amen."

06/05/2026

Good afternoon, Friends, Each Sunday morning here at First Congregational Church of West Brookfield UCC we gather in worship at 10 o'clock to celebrate God's unconditional love for all God's children. We invite you to celebrate that love with us this coming Sunday morning! For this afternoon I'd like to share a poem-prayer, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer's “For the Knitter of Shawls,” below this note. Wishing blessings to all throughout the weekend, Pastor Doug

"On the day
I most needed
to remember
how to pray,
a prayer shawl
arrived in the mail.
I wrapped myself in it
and felt in the trinity stitch
the singing of my name,
felt the colors tether me
to my own heart.
Sometimes when we
feel most alone,
the world conspires
through the goodness
of others to remind us
who we are,
remind us that now
is the right moment
to wrap ourselves
in the kind of beauty
no fear can extinguish,
now is the right moment
to feel how,
though we are alone,
love floats
around our shoulders
soft and so warm."

06/02/2026

Good afternoon, Friends, For a devotional offering today I'll include below this post the poem "Praying," written by the late Mary Oliver. Sophie Howarth, a writer and artist from the UK, explains why the example of Mary Oliver and this particular poem of hers is such a helpful one for us in our time: "It’s hard to choose a favourite from the many Mary Oliver poems I carry around tattooed to my heart. But Praying captures what I love most in her writing: an emphasis on the divinity in all things, and an invitation to understand poetry as a practice of paying attention.

"Mary Oliver has a reputation for communing with trees, listening to birdsong and admiring grasshoppers. It’s true that she generally preferred the company of wild things to that of humans. But she was not languishing while she wandered through the woods every day. She was looking and listening intently, opening herself more and more to receive the wisdom of the natural world rather than imposing her own ideas onto it. She spent a lifetime training herself to truly pay attention, something more and more of us struggle to do today."

Without further ado, here is the poem "Praying." Wishing many blessings to all this afternoon, Pastor Doug

Praying
Mary Oliver

It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.

06/01/2026

HEY, it's almost here! Hope to see you there.

05/28/2026

Good evening, Friends, This past Sunday Christian churches celebrated Pentecost and reflected upon the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In the Daily Meditation from the Center for Action and Contemplation that arrived this morning, Fr. Richard Rohr provided some wonderful additional reflection on the Spirit of God in our lives, and I'll print it below this post as a mid-week meditation. Wishing grace and peace to all, Pastor Doug

The Spirit Is Always with Us
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Father Richard envisions the Holy Spirit as the loving immensity of God’s presence within us:

On one level, soul, consciousness, love, and the Holy Spirit can all be thought of as one and the same. Each of these points to something that is eternal, larger than the self, and shared with God. That’s what Jesus means when he speaks of “giving” us the Spirit or sharing his consciousness with us. One whose soul is thus awakened actually has “the mind of Christ” (see 1 Corinthians 2:10–16). That does not mean the person is psychologically or morally perfect, but such a transformed person does see things in a much more expansive and compassionate way. St. Paul calls it “a spiritual revolution of the mind” (Ephesians 4:23)—and it is!

Jesus calls this implanted Spirit the “Advocate,” who is “with you and in you,” makes you live with the same life that he lives, and unites you to everything else (John 14:16–20). He goes on to say that this “Spirit of truth” will “teach you everything” and “remind you of all things” (John 14:26) as if we already knew this somehow. Talk about being well-equipped from a secret Inner Source! It really is too good to believe—so we didn’t believe it. [1]

Consciousness, the soul, love, the Holy Spirit, on both the individual and shared levels, have sadly become largely unconscious! No wonder some call the Holy Spirit the “missing person” of the Blessed Trinity. No wonder we try to fill this radical disconnectedness through various addictions.

There is an Inner Reminder, an Inner Rememberer, (see John 14:26, 16:4) who holds together all the disparate and fragmented parts of our lives, fills in all the gaps, owns all the mistakes, forgives all the failures, and loves us into an ever-deeper life. This is the job description of the Holy Spirit, who is the spring that wells up within us (John 7:38–39)—and unto eternal time. This is the breath that warms and renews everything (John 20:22). These are the eyes that see beyond the momentary shadow and disguise of things (John 9); these are the tears that wash and cleanse the past (Matthew 5:4). And better yet, they are not only our tears but are actually the very presence and consolation of God within us (2 Corinthians 1:3–5).

You must contact this Immensity! You must look back at your life from the place of this Immensity. You must know that this Immensity is already within you. The only thing separating you from such Immensity is the ego’s unwillingness to trust such an utterly free grace, such a completely unmerited gift. [2]