Category: Gratitude

August 11, 2013, Ben Linder preaching

Faith is an interesting word. According to the reading in Hebrews today, it is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”. I immediately thought of Indiana Jones taking a deep breath and stepping out into nothingness in his search for the Holy Grail. And for a lot of folks, faith can be just that scary. When I was a child I had faith that my parents would provide me food, shelter, clothing, and love. Later in life, I had faith in my friends to be loyal and honest with me, and for the most part, I was not let down.

August 5, 2012, Charissa Jones preaching

Today we celebrate the transfiguration of Jesus – an account of which we just read from the Gospel of Luke. Do you try to imagine what that would look like? Do you find yourselves, like me, a little jealous of an encounter with something that seems so miraculous? Through the transfiguration, the divinity of Jesus is made undeniably clear to Peter, James, and John. In the midst of their sleepiness they see the changing of Jesus’ face during prayer. The face is both familiar and unfamiliar – recognizable as the man they know so well and yet shining with glory. Even his clothes become dazzlingly white. Jesus allows his followers to see his full divinity with sudden brilliance and clarity.