1 Timothy 1: 12-17, Luke 15: 11-32 1 Rainy days down at the beach are made for movies and puzzles, books and naps! When you can’t get your toes out into the sand, nothing is better than watching movies. This month, we are going to take a look at a few movies, through this series: the gospel in film. I am not…
Keep your hand at the plow! Don’t look back! Freedom comes after you take steps. It was January 27, 1956, a twenty-seven-year-old Martin Luther King Junior, sat in his kitchen in Montgomery, Alabama nursing a cup of coffee, unable to sleep. His life was threatened, and the bus boycott was failing. Earlier in the evening, a caller had warned, “If you aren’t…
SHARING A STORY OF FAITHText: Galatians 3:23-29 and Luke 8:26-39 Last week Pastor Monica spoke about Share a Story of Hope, Christian hope on how we live today and live for tomorrow. Today we continue this theme with Share a Story of Faith. Hope and faith go together they are bound to each other. We see this in the Biblical definition of…
There’s Nowhere to Go But UP!May is a month filled to the brim with holidays and celebrations! In fact, one parody group now calls it Maycember! I have a feeling you know why. Mother’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, Memorial Day, Armed Forces Day, National Nurses Day. There are graduations, weddings, baby showers, and parties. I do realize that this morning is properly…
Half Truths: Love the Sinner, Hate the SinThis morning, we conclude our series on half-truths, phrases we think of as biblical, when really, they are bibl-ish. We take a look at “Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin.” Like each and every one of these five clichés that we have explored, we are absolutely sure that we can find them somewhere in the…
Over the past few weeks we have been reflecting on spiritual gifts-What they are, who they come from and how they impact the body of Christ. Last week Pastor Monica shared from 1 Corinthians that our differing spiritual gifts are to be celebrated, because different gifts are needed to Continue the building of God’s Kingdom. Today I want elaborate on this call-…
Customarily, every year, the family of Jesus went to the Temple to celebrate Passover. Hey Aunt Mary! Hey Uncle Joe! Come on! Don’t be late! We can almost hear the family calling to them. Jesus! Jesus! Come on! We’re over here! As the boys went running off together, while the whole caravan travelled up to the Temple together. The whole family trekked…
There is a classic story of Christmas pageants in the Midwest. I wonder if you have heard it. When telling this story, someone is always sure to mention the name of Wallace Purling. For Wally’s performance in the annual production of the Nativity play has become a legend! Wally was nine that year and in second grade, although he could have been…
No More Waiting Jesus is Born It happened a long time ago far from here. The people waited a long time for a baby to be born. You have to wait a long time for a baby to be born. There was a mother and her name was Mary. The Angel Gabriel told her that Mary she would have a baby. The…