Author: Matthew van Maastricht

Matthew lives and ministers in Altamont, New York where he shepherds a Christian community. He has particular interests in church history and church polity and teaches for the theological seminaries of the Reformed Church.

Belhar Part IV: The Political Domain of the Church

“Belhar’s relevance is not confined to Southern Africa. It addresses three key issues of concern to all churches: unity of the church and unity among all people, reconciliation within church and society, and God’s justice.” ~ From The Belhar Confession’s Prologue Over the next couple of weeks we’ll be talking about The Belhar Confession. ************************************************************* “The Belhar is […]

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The Fourth Magus

I think that next Epiphany, I am going to add a fourth magus to my nativity. Why do we sing “We Three Kings…” and place three figures when we are never told that there were actually three? Why not two, or twenty? Far from trying to be difficult, though, my desire to add a fourth […]

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Autumn

As I walk through Humboldt Park in my neighborhood in Milwaukee, I make the corner around the lagoon and before me is a tree which is ablaze but is not consumed. I have an impulse to remove my shoes. After all, I am standing on holy ground. Not because this sight makes it holy, but […]

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The Family Table

The smells of beef and onions, cilantro and salsa waft through the air. The sound of conversation and laughter fills the back yard on this cool summer night as dozens of people sit at a single long table sharing food and life. It is a community gathering to celebrate the upcoming birth of yet another […]

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Speaking of Sin

I am the pastor of a church in the inner-city and a vast majority of my congregation are low-income, most are unemployed, and many struggle with addictions, broken relationships, poverty, hopelessness, and are aware that they are largely ignored by the majority of the city. I also talk about sin. A lot. We have a […]

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Every Square Inch

I am an ordained minister of Word and sacrament and I stand within the Reformed tradition. Currently, I am the pastor of a small Reformed church in the midst of a big city where the predominate traditions are Lutheran and Roman Catholic. No one has heard anything about the Reformed. I have been learning more […]

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