Who Would Jesus Bless Today? Many Bibles include a heading before the latter part of today’s gospel reading (Mark 10:13-16) that says something like “Blessing the Children” or “Jesus Welcomes the Children.” In reading such a heading, we might begin to imagine a sentimental scene in which Jesus is surrounded by cute, adorable children. When we…
The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon Baptismal Water Is Thicker than Blood Many, perhaps most, subcultures in North America affirm the belief that “blood is thicker than water.” Even when our commitment to family is too often served through hand-wringing sentiment over the so-called decline…
The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. Promises, Promises The story of God’s relationship with God’s people is a story of promises fulfilled. We hear about God’s covenant with Sarah and Abraham in today’s Genesis reading and about its fulfillment in the New Testament texts. As…
The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. The Power of Water Water is an integral part of the created order. Water sustains and fosters life; too little or too much water can end it. A glance at the news headlines points out the destructive power of…
The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. Breath of God Breath figures frequently in Scripture. God’s breath or Spirit hovers over the chaos in creation in Genesis. Breath or Spirit enters the nostrils of the created in the story. Breath and Spirit is breathed onto the…
New Perspective Being a disciple requires an expansive perspective on forgiveness. Today our perspective is broadened by the good news that God’s forgiveness is not based on our idea of fairness, but rather on abundant, unimaginable grace. God “does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities” (Ps. 103:10).…
The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. Celebrating Our God beyond Understanding The festival of the Holy Trinity celebrates the wonder of relationship with God while leaving us distinctly dissatisfied with our limited understanding of what God is. While guarding against the idolatry of language, we…
The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. Questions Come to Light What is it about the night that invites questions? As our head rests on the pillow and shadows stretch out on the bedroom wall, questions, like field mice, begin to emerge from the nooks and…
The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. The Devil Doesn’t Wear Tights No one believes in the existence of the devil these days, do they? Do you? Perhaps we can thank Hollywood and Halloween’s marketing blitz for our casual if not incredulous approach to the devil’s…
The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. Kyrie eleison: Persistence in Prayer Two characters step out of scripture today to teach us about persistence in prayer. One is named. Jacob is the devious brother who tricked his twin, Esau, out of his birthright and their father’s…