We have been talking this July about radical forgiveness. This is the third in a series of four sermons on the topic. First, we explored the idea that forgiving is not forgetting and used the wisdom of the Truth and Reconciliation Council from South Africa to guide us. Last week, we looked at the difficult and repetitive nature of forgiveness using the…
There are very few things as unnerving as dishes, laundry, and mowing the lawn. There are tasks that are never fully accomplished. The very act of being human requires eating, dressing, and maintaining. We find ourselves doing again and again these acts. Every time, it seems as though the sink might sit empty for a period of time, meals are eaten and…
I overheard a most interesting conversation as we were preparing for Marie Monville, wife of the Amish schoolhouse shooter, to come. Many people were marveling at forgiveness offered on both sides and the inspirational and aspirational nature of such radical forgiveness. One of the ladies who was considering come remarked that she decided not to because she was not yet ready to…
When you hear a person’s name what comes into your mind about them? ABE LINCOLN; WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE; ALBERT EINSTEIN; LEONARDO DA VINCI; THOMAS EDISON WALT DISNEY; LOUIS PASTEUR; HENRY FORD; RONALD REGAN; MICHAEL JORDAN ADOPH HITLER; ELVIS PRESLEY; BOB HOPE; MOTHER TERESA; SPONGE BOB These names conjure up different feelings and emotions within us. Depending upon our age, our education and our…
Last month, I celebrated the anniversary of my ordination. I was ordained by our Bishop, Bishop Peggy Johnson and by Bishop Gabriel Yemba, bishop of the East Congo Episcopal Area. Bishop Yemba is a giant in the faith, who has lost both his wife and daughter to malaria, has been captured and imprisoned by rebel forces condemning him to death for his…
About two weeks, I was checking out at the grocery store. I was purchasing the graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolates for the s’mores to recognize all of our Sunday morning volunteers. I think the volume and the singular nature of my purchase caught the eye of the bagger who was helping me. She asked me what I was getting all of these…
Give Us a King! This Sunday, we continue our foray into the time and back story of David. We are in a series of messages entitled, After God’s Own Heart, walking with God in the challenges of life. In the person of David, God was said to be delighted and described David further in the books of Samuel as being a man…
In the middle of the night, most of us hope to be sleeping. Some of us are up roaming the floorboards in search of sleep as if we walk a few steps more we might come to a place called sleep. Some of us are caring for someone else: an infant who desires comfort and nourishment, a child unsettled by pain or…
Confirmation Class of 2015 … Brian Edward Barrett Sean Patrick Barrett Jayna Shea Bruno Tyler Eison Curtis Mya Elizabeth Ditzel Olivia Pearl Eason Rebecca Lynne LeStourgeon Luke Christopher Reynolds
On Wednesday, we celebrated a major holy day of the church. Did you know? Did you gather here at the church in worship and praise? Did you make special food at your home to celebrate? Did you even have any sense that there was something special about Wednesday? Wednesday was Ascension Day. The Ascension is 40 days after the resurrection of Jesus,…