UPDATE: Here's the audio of the sermon that elicited this response that moved me so. I was trying to say: Resurrection confirms God's dream for this world. Resurrection invites us to bring God's dream to life. What did you hear though? https://soundcloud.com/davebuer/running-down-a-dream-rev-dave-buerstetta-4-1-18-9-00 I talk. A lot. It's kinda my gig as a pastor. There …
Category: Christianity
Ash Wednesday reflections
Three teenagers and one pre-teen helped make our Ash Wednesday worship gathering happen. One served as sound board apprentice, the other three led prayers or scripture readings. Having young people eager to participate in worship always makes my heart glad. Glad hearts were in short supply this Wednesday. Too much death. Always and forever, too …
Working Again
Thanks to Becky, our amazing Office Manager, that lovely greeting was waiting for me when I walked into my office today. My spiritual renewal is over so, for the first time in four months, I was back at work.* As recently as, oh I don't know, yesterday, I wasn't so sure I was ready …
It is 2016, going on 2017…
[Note: This is an end-of-the-year letter I wrote for our congregation, Woodridge United Methodist Church. I've adapted it here for, hopefully, appealing to a wider audience.] I am often asked about that weird word in my title. Koinonia is a Greek word used in the New Testament. I’m not a Greek language scholar, but those …
Happy Christmas 2016
Merry Christmas! I don't have many traditions on this blog (other than posting quite irregularly, of course). However, I've tried to maintain a Christmas day tradition. I missed doing it in 2015, so wanted to be sure to get back on track this year. Each Christmas I post this Isaiah passage (which is a reading for …
This made my week
In a recent note to the families involved in the youth ministries at the church I serve, I wrote this about Church Conference: Church Conference is the United Methodist term for what other denominations might call its Annual Business Meeting, or what a corporation might call its Annual Shareholders meeting, or what a leading tech …
Nov. 27th sermon: ‘Wonderful Counselor’
I am bad at posting the text of my sermons -- mostly because I don't usually write a manuscript from which to preach and then post. Plus, I'm convinced that sermons are best experienced when heard, rather than just read. Here then, is the audio from yesterday's sermon. My editing talents are limited so there …
Lament
Divorce. Disease. Death. The uncomfortable truth is that our congregation, our communities, and our country is hurting. From more than just those three 'd' words, of course. But those are the ones I've encountered most in recent weeks and months. Too often, we feel the need to present ourselves as doing fine -- even in …
Throwback Thorsday
Today is Thorsday (aka Thursday) and, I'm told, it's also #NationalSuperheroDay. I don't know why that's a thing, but I like it. Since I was just talking with a friend about a sermon I once did about Thor...seems like a good day for an archive post. Plus, I really do enjoy Marvel's Thor books. The …
Walking (and reading) the Stations
Last year this blog went through an extended new-post drought. While I wasn't posting here, I was still writing and posting (at least occasionally) for my church site blog. Those posts felt specific to that audience, so I didn't put them here even though I always use this site to write them (the WordPress process …
All That I Can't Leave Unsaid 