Harrowing Of Hell

How are you REALLY doing?

Good morning Christians, seekers, and friends: How are you? …I am waiting because I really want to know! The other day my colleague Pam brought to my attention that after we had exchanged “good mornings,” in the Christie House kitchen where I was putting my lunch in the refrigerator, I then asked her “How are

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

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

David

In my life I have seen three versions of Michelangelo’s Statue of David. One is the original that before the pandemic millions visited each year in Florence at the Galleria dell’Accademia. The other is a stunning full-size bronze copy purchased by John Ringling to be the centerpiece of his art museum in Sarasota. It was

Luck in the Kingdom of God: Barsabbas and Matthias

So, there they are, Peter and 10 others sitting in Jerusalem waiting for the Holy Spirit to come upon them as Jesus had promised. A few days before they had witnessed the Ascension. There they stood on the top of the Mount of Olives as Jesus materialized into heaven; as his physical being became the

Hallelujah!

As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ tonight, the word that marks this moment is hallelujah. It means praise God, which is sort of odd to say praise God as a way of praising God. The truth is hallelujah is a rather untranslatable word: it is more a guttural affirmation; a mysterious proclamation; a

Time Changes

Good Evening From Leviticus 23:5: “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, (in Hebrew between the evenings) shall be a Passover offering to the Lord.” What a difference a day makes. So much happens during Holy Week both in our scripture reading and in our church life, that when we