Readings — Acts 2: 1-21; Psalm 104: 25-35, 37; Romans 8: 22-27; John 15: 26-27; 16: 4b- 15 Piggy Banks.  How many of you had piggy banks as children?  I had one, actually many, but only one at a time, from Glenside Savings and Loan Bank.  The bank gave out plastic piggy banks with their…

The other night, on Memorial Day, in our neighborhood, people were setting off fireworks.  I suspect that most firework shows will be canceled this year for the Fourth of July.  As teenagers, Leigh and I would pile our younger brothers and sister, all six of them, in her parents’ huge Vista Cruiser station wagon and…

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.  And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and…

Three observations: Mary was a teenager! Imagine that. Sometimes we get trapped into thinking only mature, seasoned voices can make a difference. Yet here is God, selecting a teenager to birth the savior of the world. We have no description of Gabriel, the angel, the messenger of God. I think the bearer of God’s messages…

Following the resurrection, Jesus spent 40 days among the disciples.  Just before he ascended on the 40th day, he challenged the disciples to be witnesses of good news to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the Earth.  To us these may be just place names, but to those first disciples, they were much…