The letter of James, the book our second reading for today came from, has not always gotten good press. The line that usually gets James into trouble is not from our reading for today but in the next chapter: “So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” (2:17) Because of this line, […]
We have all heard the phrase, “You are what you eat.” We know that what we eat has an impact on our health. We all know that what we eat starts to create who we are as a body. But did you know that what you think and what you do over time also creates […]
“Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:15-16 If I were to ask you to call out one adjective that you wish others […]
I have a little quiz for all of you. Now don’t worry, I think you’ll find it very easy. Just tell me what products the following advertising slogans are connected to. For any of you who are not native to this country I give you a pass for this quiz. “Just do it.”—Nike. “Plop, plop, […]
Since the middle of June, we have been listening to the story of David, our great ancestor and the one from whose line Jesus came (both literally and spiritually). And it is quite a story, and he was quite the hero. The youngest son of a shepherd, he was anointed by God to take the […]
Our Gospel reading this week from John got me thinking a lot about abundance, scarcity and excess. Here we have a story in which Jesus’ disciples see the scene in front of them through the lens of scarcity. They see thousands of people spread out before them and all they can think about is how […]
You hear me frequently refer to the Kingdom of God in my sermons. There is a very good reason for this. The Gospels are all about Jesus revealing the Kingdom of God. He talks about the Kingdom of God all the time and he tells us that all that healing, and exorcising, and sitting down […]
My preaching professor in seminary told my class that when we prepare to preach, we should look for the Good News in the passage we are preaching from. Well, some weeks are easier than others. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out […]
Over the next 11 weeks all of our Old Testament readings will be taken from the books of First and Second Samuel, so I thought it might be helpful to step back this morning and take some time to look at the bigger picture. What are these two books, which many scholars say should really […]
So, who here fully and completely understands the Trinity? Anyone? I know I sure don’t. It is one of those theological concepts that can be very difficult to grasp. Non Christians, especially those who are monotheistic—Jewish people and Muslims—will often excuse us of being tri-theistic, believing in three gods. I can understand their confusion, “God […]