Mercy for the Ignorant
Mercy for the Ignorant 14th Pentecost Psalm 14 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Luke 15:1-10 Every now and then I see a comic strip posted on Facebook called “Coffee with Jesus.” There are a variety of characters who have “conversations with Jesus” over a cup of coffee. It’s an interesting way to explore what it means to live out our faith. Just the other day, I saw this one: A man named Carl says, “I’m such a mess-up, Jesus. Bad husband, lousy father,…
Molding our World
Molding Our World 13th Pentecost Jeremiah 18:1-11 Philemon 1-21 I can still remember an art class when I was in elementary school. I was given a lump of clay, and told to make something out of it. I really didn’t have any idea what to do with it, so I just pinched it into a little container shape, and scratched my name on the bottom. The next week, it had been fired, and I was told to paint it with some…
Tearing Down, Building UP
Tearing Down, Building Up 11th Pentecost Jeremiah 1:4-10 Psalm 71:1-6 Luke 13:10-17 I once read a story about a father who had given his little daughter a necklace full of fake pearls—just play jewelry. She LOVED that necklace, and wore it very frequently. When she got just a little older, he bought a REAL pearl necklace for her—but he didn’t give it to her right away. He wanted to try something unusual. When he was tucking her into bed, he asked her if…
God’s Love Song
God’s Love-Song 10th Pentecost Isaiah 5:1-7 Hebrews 11:29-12:2 Luke 12:49-56 Those of you who are familiar with J. R. R. Tolkien’s story of The Lord of the Rings—either the books or the movies—will remember a scene where Frodo and Sam are working their way toward Mount Doom. Struggling through difficult situations, they keep plodding along to the one place where they can destroy an evil ring that Frodo carries. They are weary of this quest, and discouraged because things get more dangerous with every step. Then…
And God Keeps on Giving
And God Keeps on Giving 9th Pentecost Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 Luke 12:32-40 You’ve heard those old “Good news, bad news” jokes, right? Like the one where there are a bunch of men rowing a big galley to the beat of a drum, and the slave-driver has them stop long enough to make an announcement. “We’ve got some good news, and some bad news. First, for the good news: the Captain has ordered that every one of you is going to have…
What God Gives
What God Gives 8th Pentecost Hosea 11:1-11 Luke 12:13-21 I’m sure you’re familiar with a quote by George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It’s a great way to remind ourselves to learn our history lessons, and to let history inform our decision-making in the present. Well, for the next five weeks, I am going to be 1. Reaching back into some of the more ancient history in our faith; 2. Listening to what ancient prophets had to say to…
Keep Living in Prayer
Keep Living in Prayer 7th Pentecost Psalm 85 Colossians 2:6-19 July 28, 2019 Luke 11:1-13 Last week, our key idea was to “keep choosing Christ.” This week, the topic is “Keep Living in Prayer.” Prayer is central for the Apostle Paul. In fact, in his first letter to the church in Thessalonica, he instructs them to “pray without ceasing.” Sounds impossible, doesn’t it? My prayer times always seem to be pretty short, so “praying without ceasing” goes beyond my imagination. I can imagine using…
Keep Choosing Christ
Keep Choosing Christ 6th Pentecost Colossians 1:15-28 Luke 10:38-42 One day, a woman was having her hair done at a salon, and the conversation turned to God. The hairdresser voiced her belief that there must not be a God, because there was so much tragedy in the world—people being ill, children being abused, violence happening everywhere—you get the idea. “There must not be a God because God wouldn’t allow these things to happen.” The woman getting her hair done didn’t agree with this view,…
In Your Right Mind
In Your Right Mind 2nd Pentecost 1 Kings 19:1-15a Luke 8:26-39 Have you ever had experiences in which you felt like a stranger in a strange land? Where maybe you wondered if you were in a dream? Where things didn’t make sense as much as they normally do? A time when you might say, “We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto!”? I spent a summer in Georgia when I was 19, and the weather and the local attitudes and the strange speech…
Waiting for God
Waiting for God Trinity Sunday Psalm 8 Romans 5:1-5 John 16:12-15 In the 1950’s, Samuel Beckett published an absurdist play—absurdist. The play is titled “Waiting for Godot.” It has two strange characters hanging out on a roadside by a sickly tree, and both are waiting for someone named “Godot.” Their conversation rambles and some other characters appear then leave, but these two wait with hope. At the end of Act I, a boy appears and tells them that Mr. Godot is not coming today,…
Experiencing God’s Presence
Experiencing God’s Presence Pentecost Psalm 104:24-34 Acts 2:1-21 John 14:8-17, 25-27 Wishing to encourage her young son’s progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a piano concert by Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the famous Polish pianist. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and went down the aisle to greet her. Left to his own devices, the little boy soon discovered a door marked “NO ADMITTANCE” and he explored his way onto the…
Make Wide the Net!
May 19, 2019 Make Wide the Net! 5th Easter Psalm 148 May 19, 2019 Acts 11:1-18 John 13:31-35 I’m curious to know how many of you have been, or currently are, part of a step-family? (You know—you have step-sisters or step-brothers, step-mom or step-dad, or step-children.) Family counselors do a lot of work with step-families, helping them adjust to new people who are thrust into their lives. We already know that being a part of a biological family is sometimes difficult enough—but at least…