Readings: Genesis 15: 1-2, 17-18; Psalm 27; Philippians 3: 17-4:1; Luke 13: 31-35 Leigh and I have been reviewing legal documents lately. It was long overdue that we review our wills, our power of attorney, and our health directives. It has been thirty years or so since we last reviewed them when we were primarily…
Readings: Deuteronomy 26:1-11;Psalm 91:1-2,9-16;Romans 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13 Today I will pull a thread through all four readings. The first is Deuteronomy. Here we find the first creed of the Bible. When you approached the priest in the temple, you were to proclaim – A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and…
Readings – Exodus 34: 29-35; Psalm 99; II Corinthians 3: 12-4:4; Luke 9: 28-43a It was once said that all wars do the same thing — they grab – they destroy – and the victors keep. Grab—Destroy – Keep. Russia is now grabbing parts of Ukraine. Russia is now destroying Ukrainian communities, businesses,…
“Be Merciful Just as Your Father is Merciful” Readings: Genesis 45: 3-11, 15, Psalm 37: 1-12, 41-42, 1 Corinthians 15: 35-38, 42-50, Luke 6: 27-38 Jesus didn’t begin his public ministry until he was almost thirty years old. But it didn’t take long for his reputation to spread. He was an amazing preacher. As…
Readings – Jeremiah 17: 5-10; Psalm 1; I Corinthians 15: 12-20; Luke 6: 17-26 Jesus was a community gatherer. Remember when his mother and sisters and brothers wanted to speak with him while he was teaching? He motioned to the gathered people and said, “these are my sisters and brothers”. His loving embrace reached the…
Readings – Isaiah 6: 1-13; Psalm 138; I Corinthians 15: 1-11; Luke 5: 1-11 The theme to be found in all four of our readings this morning is God inviting, God, looking for partners, to join in the continuing care of creation. I think seeking partners is a “God thing” – going back to Genesis…
Paul’s Letter to Timothy The Second Letter of Paul to Timothy is the most intimate and personal of the epistles attributed to Paul. It is addressed to a young man who had been a companion to Paul on many of his missionary journeys. Like Paul, Timothy was a Jew who had a Greek or…
Readings – Jeremiah 1: 4-10; Psalm 71: 1-6; I Corinthians 13: 1-13; Luke 4: 21-30 Last Sunday we heard the beginning of this story. Jesus, following his baptism, went into the wilderness to ponder how to live God’s declaration that he was the long-awaited Beloved of God who would: bring good news to the poor,…
Readings – Nehemiah 8: 1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19; I Corinthians 12: 12-31a; Luke 4: 14-21 Today let’s begin with Jesus, always a good place to start. Just prior to our reading from the Gospel according to St. Luke, God claimed him. God declared, “You are my Son, you are my beloved”. Blown away by…
Readings: Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 36:5-10; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; John 2:1-11 My wife Anna has inherited a quirk from her mother and her grandmother. All three of these women are people who pray for parking spaces: “Lord, please give us a parking space.” Just like that as they’re driving through the parking lot. Anna’s grandmother, who’s…