I’m reading a book right now called Nonsense by Jamie Holmes, and in it he makes a claim that grabbed my attention. He wrote: “As uncertainties add up in the world around us, they accelerate our desire for certainty.” When I read this, I was reminded of a sermon I preached on Easter day 2014:
Ambiguity Capacity as a Kingdom of God Experience
What is Ruth All About?
We heard, in today’s Old Testament lesson, the beginning of the Book of Ruth. The scene was set, the characters were introduced; the three women in the story lost their husbands; Naomi pleaded with her two daughters-in-law to stay in Moab and find themselves new husbands in their own country while she returned to the
The Good News
Good morning Christians, seekers, and friends! I have been thinking this week about that old question, “What do you want to hear first… the GOOD news or the BAD news?” We’ve probably all heard this question in one context or another. Do you have a personal preference? Good news first; then bad news? Or is
Getting to the Heart of the Matter
I’ve been hearing lately about conversations people have had with family members and good friends who refused to get vaccinated. (disqualify people who are immune-compromised) These conversations are exasperating! Nothing they say inspires their loved one to change their mind. Nothing works. It is crazy making. This is life and death, and there are not
Thoughts and Prayers and…
Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims. Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved. Our thoughts and prayers are with the hungry. Our thoughts and prayers are with the homeless. “Thoughts and prayers”: a very common phrase these days. We hear about thoughts and prayers for Haiti; thoughts and prayers for Black Lives
Sermon on James
I am sad to say this will be my last Sunday with you before my wife and I get our house ready to go on the market and we make our move to Florida a permanent one. I am happy to say, however, that for this last sermon one of the assigned readings is the
Ambassadors in Chains
Today we find the apostle Paul in very unfortunate circumstances. He is in a Roman jail with a death sentence hanging over his head. He is literally in chains, and there is a date set for his execution. It had been his calling to carry the message of Christianity throughout the world. That was his
Unity in the Kingdom of God
We find ourselves today in the midst of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. It is a beautiful letter that we have recently worked our way through in Bible study (restarting September 17, Friday 10:30 am). One reason we study the Bible, particularly the New Testament, is that it gives us a path forward for the
The Parables of Jesus
Good morning Christians, Seekers, and Friends! How are you? Okay, so I have a question for you. How many of you here LOVE poetry? How many of you like poetry? And how many of you think it is a bunch of pretentious BS that nobody really understands but that we’ve been taught to respond to