The Cure
The Cure 2 Kings 5:1-14 February 14, 2021 Mark 1:40-45 Many of you know that I spent five days in the hospital in the middle of January, recovering from COVID-19. From my room, I could hear the coughs and cries of other patients in the “COVID ward,” and I marveled at all the nurses and therapists who never seemed to be discouraged by the whole ordeal. As the “brain fog” cleared, I found myself thinking a lot about healing,…
When the Spirit Says “Move”
When the Spirit Says “Move!” 5th Sunday after Epiphany 1 Corinthians 9: 16-23 February 7, 2021 Mark 1: 29-39 Several years ago, a church in South Africa split. The pastor left, and took most of the members. Those who remained couldn’t afford to maintain the facility, much less pay a pastor. But then, God led John to them. Pastor John asked his new flock (of fewer than 40 members) to consider what God wanted to do through them. They felt…
A New Teaching
A New Teaching 4th Epiphany 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 January 31,2021 Mark 1:21-28 Life is all about making choices. The essence of life is found in the choices that one makes. So, how do you make most of your choices? After all, there are MANY ways to choose. For example, there is the impulse way—walking past a tray of warm chocolate chip cookies and grabbing one and stuffing it into your face, without considering how it fits into your eating plan. …
What’s the Catch?
What’s the Catch? 3rd Sunday of Epiphany 1 Corinthians 7: 29-31 January 24, 2021 Mark 1: 14-20 Actually, I don’t know a lot about fishing. My Dad never taught me anything about it. There was some thing about him and his brother so he did not want anything to do with hunting or fishing. And since I didn’t know what I was missing, I didn’t mind it. Until my sons wanted to go fishing and I realized I…
Sam, Nate, Mack and Papa
Sam, Nate, Mack and Papa 2nd Sunday of Epiphany 1 Samuel 3: 1-10 January 17, 2021 Psalm 139: 1-6, 13-18; John 1: 43-51 The human brain is a wonder. The mind and its ability to capture ideas and concepts. And perhaps its greatest ability is that no one can perceive the thoughts of another person. Our thoughts are truly our own until we choose to share them in one way or another. No other person knows what truly goes on…
God’s Spirit at Work
God’s Sprit at Work Baptism of the Lord Acts 19:1-7 January 10, 2021 Mark 1:4-11 What comes to mind when I say the word “ghost”? Is it something creepy from Ghostbusters, or a haunted house like the Amityville Horror, or is it something more like Casper the Friendly Ghost? The word “ghost” is peppered throughout our vocabulary: “She doesn’t have a ghost of a chance”; or “We drove up to an old ghost town”; or “the car ghosted under the…
Newborn King/Shepherd
Newborn King/Shepherd Epiphany Ephesians 3:1-12 January 3, 2021 Matthew 2:1-12 SQuire Rushnell believes that God is always at work, performing miracles right under our noses just to show us how much God loves us! SQuire calls these little miracles “God-winks,” and he compiled a book full of examples that he entitled When God Winks at You. He has continued to document these miracles from all around the world, and recently published a new collection, including this story from McAllen, Texas.…
Christmas Has Just Begun
Psalm 148 December 27, 2020 Colossians 3:12-17 I want you to imagine that you are going to a really wonderful concert. You’ve been standing in line for a long time, and the outside speakers have been playing music from the featured group to really get you in the mood for the concert. Vendors have been moving up and down the line, selling souvenirs that focus on this concert, and your whole group is loaded up with fun items. The expectations…
He Broke the Yoke
Isaiah 9:2-7 December 24, 2020 Luke 2:1-20 Do you remember that old TV show, “Laverne and Shirley”? There were two funny characters in their apartment building—Lenny and Squiggy—and their moronic voices added a lot to the show. When one of them would tell the other to do something, the response would be, “I’m not your SLAVE!” That was actually a very accurate rendering of a phrase that was popular in the 60’s—and I can clearly hear my sister saying the…
Greetings, Favored One!
Greetings, Favored One! 4th Advent Romans 16:25-27 December 20, 2020 Luke 1:26-38 Don’t you just love Christmas Pageants?! Over the years, I have seen some doozeys! Like the year Joseph picked up the Baby Jesus and the doll’s head fell off and rolled across the floor—or like the year the innkeeper got all choked up and offered Mary and Joseph his own room, rather than sending them to a stable! But the one that came to mind this week depicted…
A Humble Witness
A Humble Witness 3rd Advent Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Dec. 13, 2020 John 1:6-8, 19-28 There’s a movie that I like to watch every February. It stars Bill Murray, and it’s called Groundhog Day. He plays a hotshot weatherman with a “big future,” but he got stuck re-living the same day, over and over again, until he was able to //:release his sense of self-importance and begin to care about the people around him.:\\ Gradually, he became more humble, he gained…
Prepare the Way of the Lord
2 Peter 3:8-15a Mark 1:1-8 I want you to imagine that the most important person in the world is coming to Sparks. What would we do to get ready for this visit? I’m sure we would arrange for some special music to be performed, some welcome speeches would be written—we would do everything we could think of to make this person feel welcome! Of course, there would be a parade, and all the buildings along the parade route would be decorated. Of course,…