One of the ways to learn the Bible is through the stories, no matter what age we are. And with the stories come food for thought, and a lesson hopefully learned. The story today is full of suspense, with a full cast of characters. We have a king, an orphaned girl, a cousin, a queen, and what is a story without the…
Today, we conclude our series on Citizen of Heaven, Resident of Earth. As Christians, our first allegiance is to God. We are subjects of the most high God and called to live according to the laws and commandments laid out in the Bible. However, you and I reside, for now here in this place on…
On this Mother’s day, here is a top list of things you might have heard a mother say: Do not use your arm as a tissue Did you say thank you? Please use your inside voice No running in the house If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Does…
This morning, we begin a new sermon series, entitled Citizens of Heaven, Residents of Earth. It is a series that was not my original intention for this time. I standardly plan our worship themes out approximately 6 months at a time. And I had planned something else for May. During Holy Week, I heard God…
When I was twelve years old, I was asked to write an article for a publication. At twelve and in an age prior to digital proliferation, I answer the question to write the story of my faith. In confirmation, I shared it in church, in the newsletter, and beyond. It was my personal story of…
Have you heard joke about the classroom of kindergarteners who were asked to bring in a symbol of their faith? One Jewish child brought in a menorah, and a Catholic child brought in a rosary. When it came time for the Methodist child, she pulled out her parent’s corningware dish complete with a snack for…
We are in a series of messages entitled, Followers of the Way. Long before Christians were called by the name of Christ, there were those who sought to follow the way that Jesus and those who knew him lived. They followed the Way of living and sharing, loving and caring that the disciples and apostles…
Do you remember playing whisper down the lane in school? Sometimes, called telephone. It was where the person at the front of the line would begin with a phrase and each one would whisper it, one to the other, until at the end, you saw what it had become. Somehow, Miss Smith’s class has 6…
Good stories are those that when they are done – we all finding ourselves saying or thinking, Oh! Tell it Again! This is why we have all read our children Cat in the Hat, Good Night Moon, Where the Wild Things Are and other favorites again and again and again. I think many of us have had the experience of the same…
No; When You don’t Want to Pray I was finally on vacation, up to see friends in Boston. It had been a long stretch and I was delighting in some time away. On the second day, I got a call early in the morning. The sun was still peeking over the trees in a sleepy suburban town in June. We were going…