West Lebanon Congregational Church, U.C.C.

08/07/2026

Dear beloved community,

This is a glorious season when local gardens are lush and producing both beauty and bounty. It is a good time for sharing your favorite recipes in exchange for fresh fruits and vegetables or shopping at local farm stands. It is a gift to be able to share what we have but sometimes we sell ourselves short or do not realize the value of our simple gifts. All our gifts matter when they are lovingly given. You know the seemingly smallest things that you have to offer may be like the loaves and fishes that Jesus used to feed thousands of people. I recently heard a story of a couple who greeted a young family with such welcome and joy that they just knew they were in the right place when they came through the doors of our church many years ago. A simple gift to be joyful greeters at the church, but that welcome was a huge contribution to the future of this church as that family and perhaps others became involved in the life of this community. So thank you for all that you do. When the world seems to be in chaos and many things are out of our control, it can be helpful to step back, breathe, and realize how blessed we are to live where we do and to be part of this faith community.

Sunday in worship we will hear two stories from the scriptures about God's presence at times when people needed help in the chaos of their world at the time. Fear could easily have been in control. Some seem to think that God creates the chaos, but maybe God is just with us in the chaos when it happens. God's love is always with us, but we have to trust, and sometimes just be still and listen or reach out a hand. Let's talk more about this on Sunday.

Hope to see you in worship!
Amanda

08/01/2026

Dear beloved community,

A little summer sun and then some rain to water the earth. I hope there have been soaking rains also in areas where there are wildfires, to aid those fighting them. There are enough natural and human disasters in our world now to keep us constantly praying for peace and peace of mind for all.

It has been a nice change this summer to look at the trees in the Bible and talk about their significance beyond just a brief mention. I hope it has helped you look a little deeper as you read the scriptures. I hope it has helped you look at the world around you through a more appreciative lens. We can easily take our environment for granted, especially the trees, as we live in one of the most heavily forested states in the US. Someone brought it to my attention on Sunday that the states with the most forest land are Maine, New Hampshire, West Virginia, then Vermont. We are blessed and yet I have learned a lot more about the value of trees, especially old growth forests, in my reading for this sermon series, as well as some of their significance in the scriptures.

This week we will wrap up our sermon series with the fig tree. The fig tree in summer is in full leaf and gives cool, welcome shade on a hot day. References to figs and figs trees are all through the scriptures. They stand for peace and prosperity, sometimes symbolize the people of Israel, and they are also used to signify thriving or faltering. Jesus’ homeland was filled with fig trees. They were always there to use as examples in his teaching and one such lesson is the parable of the fig tree. Let's talk more about this on Sunday.

Hope to see you in worship!
Amanda

07/10/2026

Dear beloved community,

We have been talking about trees in the Bible and that makes us think about the many wonders of God's creation. In the interest of continuing to do our part to show our love for creation its time, once again, to make our pledge as hundreds of thousands of people around the world join in “plastic free July.” Many people doing little things can make a big difference. There are some great alternatives out there that are better for our planet than single use plastics, and better than many other kinds of plastics too. I am grateful for the changes that many of you have made and suggestions you make to encourage others. If you have not yet made the commitment, please decide to take your own shopping bags to the store from now on. It is the very least you can do. Once you get used to doing things a little differently it is not difficult at all. Many of us have switched to bar shampoo instead of shampoo in plastic bottles. The small (totally plastic free) company I often purchase from said that 765,235 plastic shampoo bottles were replaced with bars in 2025 just in their tiny company alone. And yes, they have conditioner bars too. What better time to remember this than when we are focusing on trees in worship?

This week in worship our scripture is from Genesis, the story of Noah and the flood. Our tree is the olive. The olive is an incredibly useful tree providing olives for food, but also oil for blessing, healing, and even for burning in lamps. We know that the olive branch is a sign of peace and Jesus spent a lot of time at the Mount of Olives. Let's talk more about all of this on Sunday.

Hope to see you in worship!
Amanda

PS: Last week in worship I mentioned the song Colors of the Wind from the Disney movie Pocahontas. If you are interested in the words to that song here is a link.

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupColors of the Wind · ...

07/02/2026

Dear beloved community,

It is summer time and as always when it is this hot I encourage you to reach out to friends and neighbors to be sure they are staying hydrated and keeping cool. On Saturday, our nation will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. We remember our history and those who had big dreams and worked hard to create a nation with a system of government where all people could be free and safe from powerful and corrupt rulers. Poet Amanda Gorman's poem, "Believer's Hymn for the Republic," speaks well of this dream. You might appreciate listening to her share her poem with the Boston Pops as background. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ad-FDq9j8U
This week in worship we continue our series on Trees in the Bible. Isn't it surprising how, when you start to really pay attention to something new, you notice it everywhere? The prophet Isaiah often referred to trees. He spoke of sycamore figs and cedars, the terebinth and the oak. Never heard of a terebinth tree? Well, it has often been translated as oak in more modern translations. They are not the same at all and I have never noticed terebinth trees in scripture until now, how about you? When the Israelites returned from exile in Babylon, the prophet Isaiah tells them that the mountains and hills will burst into song and the trees of the field will clap their hands. Let's talk more about this on Sunday.

Hope to see you in worship!
Amanda

Inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman performs her s...

06/26/2026

Dear beloved community,

We live our lives surrounded by trees. We couldn't survive without them, but they could survive quite nicely without us. I have learned a lot more about the importance of diversity in our world as I have been learning about the trees in the Bible. Trees are amazing but they need diversity to thrive. If you find this topic interesting there was a wonderful NOVA documentary this week on PBS called "Secrets of the Forest." You can find it on YouTube and other streaming apps. It lifts up the importance of diversity in ways you might not have considered. And like the forests, diversity in our community helps us not just survive, but thrive, as well.

Parker Palmer was talking about summer's abundance in the following quote, but these words are true for all seasons. "Abundance is a communal act, the joint creation of an incredibly complex ecology in which each part functions on behalf of the whole, and in return, is sustained by the whole. Community not only creates abundance - community is abundance. If we could learn that equation from the world of nature, the human world might be transformed."
Trees are a wonderful illustration of the importance of community and even the importance of diversity. We will talk more about that in the weeks ahead.

This week in worship we will read the story of a tax collector, who climbed a sycamore tree to get a better view and he got far more than that. Let's talk more about Zacchaeus and the sycamore tree on Sunday.

Hope to see you in worship!
Amanda

06/19/2026

Dear beloved community,

Today (Friday June 19th) is Juneteenth, our country's second Independence Day and the official end of slavery in the United States. Two years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, troops made it to Texas on June 19, 1865 to enforce that proclamation. This is a day of recognition of African-American history and heritage. Our history is important, and freedom for all humans should be honored. As we acknowledge this day let's remember to keep listening and educating ourselves to help make our world a better place for all of God's people. Those who truly follow Christ never stop learning how to share the light of Christ with all of God's creation.

We can learn a lot from God's creation, if we take time to really study it. This Sunday we will begin our sermon series on trees in the Bible. The scriptures mention several trees, fruits, types of wood, and other products from trees. Did you know that Frankincense comes from a gnarled but hardy desert tree (genus-Boswellia). And myrrh is harvested from thorny trees and shrubs (genus Commiphora). This week, our scripture from Jeremiah compares people to a shrub in the desert or a tree transplanted by the water. Which one might you choose to be? The trees have many lessons to share. I hope you will join me over the next several weeks as we look at these stories in scripture in a new way.

Hope to see you in worship!
Amanda

06/14/2026

TODAY is our FREE Community Dinner from 4-5:30pm! Enjoy an assortment of food brought by our church members. All are welcome.

06/12/2026

Dear beloved community,

Summer is upon us! I hope you find time to enjoy the warmer weather and remember to take good care of yourself in the heat. It is a good time to check on older friends and neighbors who live alone when there are extreme heat advisories. And please ask for help if you need it. Always reach out to one of the deacons or me if there are people who need our attention, or extra prayers. It seems to be a busy time in our church and in many of your lives. Let's continue to take good care of each other. I appreciate the many ways you all show up and show hospitality within and for our community.

Sunday we will talk about the hospitality the disciples were told to seek as they went out to spread the Good News. Sometimes learning to receive hospitality is more difficult than offering it to others. Both are important. Let's talk more about all of this on Sunday.

Hope to see you in worship!
Amanda