Independence Day Celebration Readings-Deuteronomy 10: 17-21; Psalm 145; Hebrews 11: 8-16; Matthew 5: 43-48 These readings for the Celebration of Independence push us forward rather than allow us to look backward. First, Deuteronomy. Our God loves strangers and executes justice for those with little hope or standing, the orphan and the widow. So, we as…
ABOUT GIDEONS The Gideons International is an Association of Christian business and professional men and their wives dedicated to telling people about Jesus through associating together for service, sharing personal testimony, and providing Bibles and New Testaments. While we are often recognized for our work with hotels, we also place and distribute Scriptures in strategic…
Readings – Genesis 18:1-15,21:1-7; Psalm 116:1,10-17; Romans 5:1-8; Matthew 9:35-10:8-23 Do you know anyone named Grace? I came up with three. A bricklayer’s daughter from Philadelphia, Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco. The lead singer of Jefferson Airplane, Grace Slick. A violinist and now a music teacher in Gettysburg, a Second Sunday musician who grew up…
Readings- Genesis 12:1-9; Psalm 33:1-12; Romans 4:13-25; Matthew 9:9-13,18-26 St. Paul writing to the gathered in Rome declares: God gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that do not yet exist. St. Paul is remembering the Abram of our first reading. At the age of 75 Abram is considered dead, leading a…
Readings – Genesis 1:1-2:4a; Psalm 8; II Corinthians 13:11-13; Matthew 28:16-20 The twelfth of September, 1962, Rice University, Texas. The President of the United States, John F. Kennedy proclaimed– We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and…
Readings – Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:25-35,37; I Corinthians 12:3b-13; John 20:19-23 A neighbor of ours has a young dog, Emma, an English setter. She is always on a leash. She wants to run, play, to chase, to greet people. She is always on a leash. Hold that image. Pentecost was one of the three Jewish…
Readings – Acts 1:1-14; Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36; I Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11; John 17:1-11 This morning we will begin with our first reading. The Resurrected Jesus is again with the gathered disciples, this time on Mt. Olivet. Together they asked him — Master, are you going to restore the kingdom of Israel now? Is this…
Readings – Acts 17:22-31; Psalm 66:7-18; I Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21 Ever since Monday when I began to think about our readings for today, this was the verse that kept popping up — I will not leave you orphaned [alone]; I am coming to you. John 14: 18 This passage continues our reading…
Readings – Acts 7: 55-60; Psalm 31: 1-5,15-16; I Peter 2: 2-10; John 14: 1-14 Often, we see illustrations of the entrance into heaven. There are the pearly gates. There is the long-bearded St. Peter. Sometimes he is at a podium with a long scroll of names. Sometimes there is a long line before him. …
Readings – Acts 2: 42-47; Psalm 23; I Peter 2: 19-25; John 10: 1-10 Before we approach the text from the Gospel according to St. John, I would like to place it in context. Today’s passage immediately follows the healing of the man born blind. Jesus made mud with his saliva and placed it on…