Meditation on Matthew 22:15-22 First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown, NY Rev. Dr. Karen Crawford Oct. 18, 2026 I visited Tom Deakins at St. Catherine’s Hospital last Sunday. He had been hospitalized with symptoms of a stroke, but the MRI machine had been broken for the first anxious days of his stay. Finally, the machine hadContinue reading ““Show me the money””
Tag Archives: jesus
Come, Labor On! Well done! Well done!
Meditation on Matthew 20:1-16 Rev. Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown, NY Commissioning the Choirs and Welcoming New Members Sept. 27, 2026 Do animals have morals? What do you think? Maybe it depends on the animals. I listened to an NPR/TED Talk yesterday with that title, “Do animals have morals?” “Empathy, cooperation, andContinue reading “Come, Labor On! Well done! Well done!”
Amazing Children of the Bible Series: Timothy
Meditation on 1 Timothy chapter 6 verses 6 through 16 Rev. Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown Sept. 20, 2026 Today, we have the joy of baptizing Valentina Bella McMaster-Castro. Valentina, daughter of Savannah McMaster and Jahn Castro, is my 21st baptism here at First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown. Twenty-one doesn’t seem likeContinue reading “Amazing Children of the Bible Series: Timothy”
Amazing Children of the Bible Series: The Boy with Loaves and Fish
Meditation on John 6:1-14 First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown, NY Rev. Dr. Karen Crawford Sept. 13, 2026: Rally Day! Kathy and her daughter, Jessica, left a present for me on my desk a week or so ago. I didn’t know why, at first, the Sunday School teachers gave me a plastic bag filled with rolledContinue reading “Amazing Children of the Bible Series: The Boy with Loaves and Fish”
Amazing Children of the Bible Series: Daniel
Meditation on Daniel 1:1-17 Rev. Dr. Karen Crawford World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation Sept. 6, 2026 When Wendell Berry was 30, “he confronted in himself a deep need to return to his roots.” He moved “to an old two-room cabin on the Kentucky River at Port Royal, in Henry County, whereContinue reading “Amazing Children of the Bible Series: Daniel”
Amazing Children of the Bible Series: Josiah
Meditation on 2 Kings 22 and 23, selected verses Reverend Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown August 23, 2026 How is your garden growing, with all this rain? I was away a few weeks and when I came back, my flowers had grown tall and toppled over. I tried to do a littleContinue reading “Amazing Children of the Bible Series: Josiah”
Amazing Children of the Bible Series: Solomon
Meditation on 1 Kings 3:1-15 Reverend Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown Aug. 16, 2026 I have been away for two weeks on a cruise in the British Isles, ending our journey in Bergen, Norway. The tour took my mom and me to some places that I had visited briefly before—Dublin, Belfast, andContinue reading “Amazing Children of the Bible Series: Solomon”
Miriam
Amazing Children of the Bible Series Meditation on Exodus 1:8-2:10 Rev. Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown July 12, 2026 It hasn’t yet been two weeks since I returned from our denomination’s 227th General Assembly in Milwaukee. I am still processing much of what happened there. But today, I would like to shareContinue reading “Miriam”
Celebrating Our Country’s 250th Anniversary
Reverend Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown July 5, 2026 You are not going to hear the story of Miriam today! Lord willing, you will hear all about Miriam next Sunday as I begin my series on Amazing Children of the Bible. On this weekend, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of theContinue reading “Celebrating Our Country’s 250th Anniversary”
Should We Continue in Sin?
Meditation on Romans 5:8 – 6:11 Reverend Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown, NY June 21, 2026 Tom Michell was taking a walk by the sea, on holiday at Punte Del Este in Uruguay, when he saw the penguins washed up on the sand. It was a dreadful sight, he says in hisContinue reading “Should We Continue in Sin?”
