The Hubbell Pew! Twenty years online – that’s practically ancient in internet years! We’ve been like that comfy, slightly dusty armchair in the corner of the web, always there, especially when folks are giving up chocolate and trying to be better humans during Lent. And boy, oh boy, this year the digital mailbag overflowed with…
Fences/Walls
The familiar proverb, “Good fences make good neighbors,” gains a nuanced perspective when viewed through Robert Frost’s opening line in “Mending Wall”: “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall.” While many interpret Frost’s poem through the lens of nationalism and borders, or the election of a U.S. President who pledged to build a “big…
Holy Saturday
Today, Holy Saturday, occupies a singular space in our hearts. It’s a hushed interlude, a held breath between the profound sorrow that marked Good Friday – the raw grief of loss and seeming finality – and the incandescent joy that Easter Sunday promises. Imagine those who walked alongside Jesus during those agonizing hours. For them,…
Good Friday
The other day, Suzy asked a question that many ponder: “Why do we call Good Friday… ‘Good’?’” Fortunately, as my grandson aptly puts it, we carry a powerful computer in our pockets – a device capable of taking us to the moon, or in this case, illuminating a historical linguistic shift. So, I consulted my…
Maundy Thursday
Lord, are you going to wash my feet. — John 13:6. While contemporary observance might suggest the recent introduction of foot washing services, this practice possesses deeper roots within Christian tradition, its prominence and frequency having varied across denominations and historical epochs. The profound impact of this ritual resonates in the moving experiences shared by…