Readings – Isaiah 9: 2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2: 11-14; Luke 2: 1-20 A reading from the Gospel according to St. Luke — …on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but […]
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Readings – Micah 5: 2-5a; Psalm 80: 1-7; Hebrews 10: 5-10; Luke 1: 39-45 Creating Space. In soccer and in football, too, a player runs through space on the field, hoping one or two of the opposing defenders follow. Then, into the space runs another attacking player, ready to receive a neatly kicked ball (in […]
Third Sunday of Advent
Readings – Zephaniah 3: 14-20; First Song of Isaiah; Philippians 4: 4-7; Luke 3: 7-18 I can remember my mother’s ringer washing machine. In the center of the machine, there was a post with fins that went around and around, and up and down when the tub was filled with water and dirty clothes. The […]
Second Sunday of Advent
Readings – Malachi 3: 1-4; Song of Zechariah; Philippians 1; 3-11; Luke 3: 1-6 From our Old Testament reading of the prophet Malachi, he spoke of God refining us like gold and silver, making us purer as God intended us to be like God created us to be. From the Song of Zechariah, a priest […]
First Sunday of Advent
Readings – Jeremiah 33: 14-16; Psalm 25: 1-9; I Thessalonians 3: 9-13; Luke 21: 25-36 This morning let’s begin with the context of the reading from Jeremiah, the Old Testament prophet. Since ancient times we have had two arrangements of the proclamations and the laments of Jeremiah. One set was arranged by his disciples in […]
The Last Sunday after Pentecost
Readings — II Samuel 23: 1-7; Psalm 132: 1-19; Revelation 1: 4b-8; John 18: 33-37 This Jesus, I think he was a blue-collar guy. It is written that his father Joseph was a village carpenter, and his mother Mary has traditionally been depicted as a peasant, perhaps a seamstress and weaver. So, Jesus grew up […]
The Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
In Flanders Fields we hear the works of challenge – “To you, from failing hands, we throw the torch”. The poem was penned almost thirty months before the Armistice took hold at 11 a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th month. The author surgeon Lt. Col. John McCrea died of pneumonia on January 1918, […]
Celebration of All Saints
Readings – Isaiah 25: 6-9; Psalm 24; Revelation 21: 1-6a, John 11: 32-44 How many have ever visited Hyner View? You go to Lock Haven, past the University, and west on Route 116, and turn off just a bit before Renovo. There is Hyner View State Park, and to get to the summit you go […]
The Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost
Readings – Ruth 1: 1-18; Psalm 146; Hebrews 9: 11-14; Mark 12: 28-34 A reading from the Old Testament Book of Ezra – At that time those who had come from captivity, returned exiles, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel…. The officials approached… and said, ‘the people of Israel, the priests, and the […]
The Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost
Readings – Job 42: 1-6, 10-17; Psalm 34: 1-8, 19-22; Hebrews 7: 23-28; Mark 10: 46-52 Jesus was on the road again, the road to Jerusalem, which passed through Jericho. He was on his way to celebrate the Passover, as all male Jews were required to do if they were within 15 miles of Jerusalem. […]