Bruce J. Johnson

I mentioned in my last post that I loved presiding at the Christmas Eve Service of Lessons, Carols and Candlelight. It was not my preference, and therefore, not my practice to preach on Christmas Eve. Rather, I gladly surrendered the evening to the power of the actual scriptural narrative, beautiful and beloved choral Christmas music, … Read more

Throughout my tenure as pastor of the First Congregational Church of Coventry, I loved presiding at the Christmas Eve Service of Lessons, Carols and Candlelight. We always gathered at 11:00 pm and welcomed Christmas Day and the good news of great joy, the birth of Christ, by candlelight. The congregation sang all the beloved carols, … Read more

“Joy is the light we need when life feels its darkest.” – Lindsey Goodwin, PhD. I concluded my previous blog post with a quote by the Reverend Emily Wiles. As I am sure that we all soon discovered, her words were not meant to be simply read, but rather, to be pondered deeply in the … Read more

Over the years, I have heard it said often that Aging is not for sissies or wimps! Another favorite warning is, Getting older is not for the faint of heart. Equally true! I have always liked Philip Larkin’s description of it as an “inverted childhood.” (The Old Fools) I think sometimes that my inversion has … Read more

As we enter this last week of November, the one designated for the beloved national holiday of Thanksgiving, our thoughts focus with a greater sense of urgency on the need to give thanks. Presidential Proclamations call the nation to gather at home and hearth and give thanks to God for the blessings in our lives. … Read more

Lois and I left for our winter in Florida by late October, a day or so before Halloween. We spent two nights on the road. Just outside Daytona Beach, we stopped at our first BUC-EE’S, a chain of travel centers known for all kinds of distinguishing features and services. BUC-EE’S has won a few world … Read more

On Thursday, October 9, 2025, Pope Leo XIV published Dilexi te, (“I have loved you.”), the first apostolic exhortation of his pontificate and one that has been acclaimed universally as ‘showing the face of the church.” Assuming the role of the face of any institution or product is a considerable challenge. In the world of branding … Read more

In my last post, Hatred in American Politics and Culture, September 13, 2025, written in response to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, I quoted David French and sounded an alarm that there was “a momentum of hate and fear building in the United States, threatening to consume us with its growing impulse for violence.” (As … Read more

America experienced yet another horrific day of gun violence yesterday, September 10, 2025. At a public event on the campus of Utah Valley University, an assassin’s bullet killed Charlie Kirk, the nation’s most visible and persuasive voice for the far-right conservative movement and a husband and father of two beautiful children. Two people of interest … Read more

Across the nation, United States flags are flying at half-staff, a solemn tribute in response to the devastating school shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. President Trump described it as “a senseless act of violence.” Pope Leo XIV urged, Let us plead [to] God to stop the pandemic of arms large … Read more