Jeremiah 31: 27-34 October 17, 2010 We’ve seen this hundreds of times in movies and on TV. The suspect is in the interrogation room and the bad cop is haranguing him about life in prison if he doesn’t ‘fess up. He’s been at it for hours and the suspect is starting to wear down. Then [...]
Luke 17:11-19 Inner Health Made Audible October 10, 2010 Gratitude is a good thing. I’m sure most of us have had someone in our life who preached to us the value of thank you notes. If we didn’t, we should have! It is one the simplest expressions of gratitude, but one of the most profound [...]
Monday and Tuesday of this week I spent at Lancaster Theological Seminary at the annual Church and Ministry Convocation. This convocation attracts church and ministry committees and conference staff from New York to North Carolina. It is always wonderful to be back at my alma mater, and I always come away changed in some way. [...]
A Little Faith Goes A Long Way A Brief Meditation Preached at Zion UCC, Arendtsville October 3, 2010 Recently I joined the Planet Fitness near our home. I can’t say it’s something I really wanted to do. Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to think of another way to increase my fitness without exercise. If I [...]
This fall we dedicated a new set of paraments at Zion. Paraments are the fabric coverings on the altar, pulpit, and lectern–where the scripture is read. For the long church season following Pentecost (Pentecost is 50 days after Easter) the liturgical color is green. Green symbolizes the growth of the church in the presence of [...]
Have you read a good book lately? Have you read The Good Book lately? Christian writer and contemplative, Henri Nouwen said this about the need for spiritual reading: Spiritual reading is good for our souls. As we slowly let the words of the Bible or a good spiritual book enter into our minds and descend [...]
Luke 13 10-17 Aug 22, 2010: In the Presence of Jesus Where some would see a broken rule, Jesus sees a broken person. Standing in front of him is a woman in need of his healing touch. Standing in front of Jesus is the very reason God took on flesh and came to earth.
A Life That Matters Luke 12: 13-21 Aug. 1, 2010 Every year we read of the recipients of the Nobel prizes: prizes for achievement in economics, medicine, the arts, and of course the Nobel Peace Prize. But those prizes were not what Alfred Nobel was originally known for, in his native country of Sweden. Nobel, [...]
Luke 10:25-37 “To Serve and Be Kind” July 11, 2010 A lawyer had a question. What must I do to inherit eternal life? Certainly that is a question we would all like to ask of Jesus. Jesus turns the question back on the lawyer and asks him what is written in the law. The lawyer, [...]
“A Skeleton Crew”: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” So says Jesus in these instructions to the team of 70 that were sent out to bring the good news of the kingdom of God. Those words really resonate with me, but not necessarily in terms of the mission field. [...]