Recently, I finished reading the book of Revelation. That’s no easy feat, and I will not pretend that I understood a lot of it. I recall a sermon in the not-so-distant past in which Tom remarked that Revelation was written using imagery that would have meaning for the people of the author’s time; we aren’t…
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Our church remains closed, but we can all be together in spirit. In this mini-sermon, Pastor Tom Hartshorn talks about how we can be the church out in our daily lives. Click on the arrow in the image below to start the sermon.
I don’t put much stock in the meaning of dreams, but last night I had a very vivid one I feel compelled to share. My dream was an algorithm. I don’t remember all the details, but essentially the goal of the algorithm was to escape a puzzle. The puzzle was the algorithm itself. As in…
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We can’t worship together just yet, but we can bring the Sunday service into your homes virtually. Enjoy this short sermon put together by Pastor Tom Hartshorn.
This coming Sunday, the Consistory is going to talk again about whether to reopen the church. I will be honest — I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I miss it so much. I miss the fellowship. I miss the music. I miss Tom’s sermons, even the ones in which the science goes way over…
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Maybe I shouldn’t be writing this. Maybe I shouldn’t be giving an opinion about the violent deaths of black men and women at the hands of police. I’m not black. I’m not a police officer. I enjoy the tranquility of knowing that my family and friends, my home and things, are safe due to the…
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Here’s a trivia question: What game show did Johnny Carson host before taking on “The Tonight Show”? It was a very popular show called “Who Do You Trust?” which ran from 1957-1963. The question remains relevant, even if today it is not funny and certainly not a game. Who do you trust? Who can you…
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We live in dangerous times and not just from the risk of becoming ill, but also from the feelings we may be harboring about our neighbors locally, nationally and globally. In times of prolonged crisis and stress, annoyance can quickly boil over into anger. And without a visible presence to attack, our frustrations with COVID-19…
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Are you missing church? Feeling scared or lonely? Do you need someone to give you advice or lend an ear? Pastor Tom Hartshorn wants to remind everyone that he is available for counseling or just a friendly chat. Call him at 304-279-7332 or e-mail him at ucctom@gmail.com. And even if things are fine, feel free to…
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Paul reminds us in Corinthians that in Christ, no life is lived in vain. There should be comfort in that message regardless of our age or how fairly life has treated us. Certainly for families and friends of people who have succumbed to COVID-19, these are powerful words. I think of families forced to grieve…
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