Blog Archives

Practice Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Beauty

3/31/2022

Rev Judith Cooke

Every now and then, I receive a random act of kindness, which always touches my heart. I have found anonymous tea left on my desk, a book of prayers, a picture colored by a child. While I always wish I knew who to thank for such thoughtfulness, not knowing moves me to see everyone around me as wonderful givers.

Life has been challenging for quite some time, and the result has been stress and strain on countless people. And these people need kindness. The Bible speaks again and again of God’s “loving kindness.” As followers of Christ, we are to share in the ministry of offering kindness to bless others.

This week, I invite you to choose a random act of kindness to share with another. Perhaps it could be leaving cookies for a coworker, mailing an encouraging card, returning a stranger’s grocery cart. And as you share your random act of kindness, pay attention for the caring gestures others offer to you.

The world can be a tough place, but with the grace of God, we can play a part in making it a more loving, kind, and beautiful place.

Spring Renewal

3/24/2022

Rev Judith Cooke

Ah, springtime! The weather is getting warm, gardens will soon be planted, and the world will become green soon. After the dormancy of winter, new life is happening all around us.

This year, Spring feels even more precious to me. Life during the pandemic has felt like a form of dormancy with so many things being suspended and with the theme of death all around. Now Covid is becoming less threatening; yes, there are new variants, but they are decreasing in severity, which is how we will move from pandemic to endemic. As we continue moving through Covid, we are now seeing signs of new life all around us – people are reconnecting in person, mask requirements have lifted, life is beginning to feel more “normal.” While NGCC has gotten through the pandemic better than many churches, we still experienced our own winter with decreased attendance and finances.

But now, we are entering Spring! Yes, we have some metaphoric mulching and garden prep to do, but NGCC is getting ready for God to bless us with a springtime of newness! NGCC has work to do, and I am grateful that we have such a gifted, dedicated, and hard-working congregation. We will need all of us together to faithfully bring restoration and renewal to the church and its ministries.

Think about your own life.

What metaphor Spring do you need?
What will you plant to bring new life?
What symbolic garden tools will you bring to the church?
At the end of the springtime, what do you hope to see?

God has blessed us with the cycle of the seasons in countless aspects of our lives, and God is guiding us forward through the Spring that is beginning all around us.

Questioning

3/17/2022

Rev. Judith Cooke

More times than I can count, I have had conversations with four year-olds where their entire half of the exchange was the word “why.”
          It’s time to eat. Why?
          So you won’t be hungry. Why?
          So your body is healthy. Why?
          And on and on it goes.

While I used to think that these were pointless conversations, I now see the importance of asking questions that make us think deeper.

Over the past two years, I was sent by the Southern New England UCC Conference to be trained as a clergy coach. Last month, I was officially accredited PCC (Professional Certified Coach) through the International Coaching Foundation. Coaching is both a philosophy and an approach, in which the client works on goals to create their future. It differs from counseling, which looks back to address issues affecting the client now; coaching begins with the client’s “now” and focuses on how they want to move forward.

One of the key components of coaching is asking questions that get the client to think deeper, and often what sounds like a simple question involves complex reflection. Jesus was the master of these kinds of questions: Who do you say that I am? Do you want to get well? What is truth? Why did you doubt? Do you love me? In your own spiritual journey, I invite you to reflect on the depth of these simple yet complex questions that Christ asked, and think what answers you would give.

May through July 2022, I will be away on Sabbatical, and part of what I will be doing with that time involves clergy coaching. The coach training I was offered has been a great gift, and I am excited to be able to work with people who endeavoring to move forward in positive ways.

Lenten Sacrifices

3/10/2022

Rev Judith Cooke

This year for Lent, I am giving up smoking, soda, and Twitter. Unlike other years when I caved in quickly to my Lenten sacrifices, I am 100% confident that this year I will not indulge in any of them. The reason I am absolutely certain of this is because I don’t smoke, drink soda, or use Twitter anyway. Cadbury eggs are on sale right now, which is great for those of us who did not give up chocolate this year.

Personally, I have never found giving things up for Lent to be spiritually enriching. As you think about how to connect with God during this sacred season, I would like to make a suggestion. Make Sunday worship a priority. During the pandemic, many have fallen out of the habit of attending worship in person; as Covid decreases, it is time to return. Worship is the heartbeat of the church; it is a time to connect with God, to spiritually renew, to join in relationship with other believers, and to prepare ourselves to face the week ahead. Worship is your time with God, and it is the perfect Lenten spiritual practice.

May your season of Lent draw you closer to God.

With Hope

3/3/2022

Rev. Judith Cooke

My ninth-grade math teacher talked to the class one day about war. I’m not sure how the subject came up, but it was a powerful conversation that has stayed with me. He said that he had registered as a conscientious objector because he believed that killing anyone for any reason was immoral. But, after he studied World War Two his mind changed. He told us that sometimes it the only ethical thing to do was to fight against evil.

The crisis in Ukraine brought to my mind that conversation. There are times when fighting back is the right things to do. As much as I am heartbroken and outraged by the attack on Ukraine, I am also inspired by the countless civilians who are fighting to protect their nation and one another. I am also moved by the tremendous numbers of Russians who are protesting the war, despite the threat of six years of imprisonment.

In times like these when solutions are hard to find, we rely on prayer. We pray for guidance, for healing, for peace, for hope.

Messages from the Pastor

Practice Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Beauty

Spring Renewal

Questioning

Lenten Sacrifices

With Hope

Archives