Harrowing Of Hell

Sermon Series #3 on Kingdom of God Intelligence: Trust Versus Control

Two Sundays ago, Kelli Martin, in her sermon, talked about the necessity of facing our life. That theme was picked up at our men’s retreat last weekend by our leader, Dr. Ron David. He formed the retreat around four questions: facing God, facing ourselves, facing our neighbor, and facing the existential threats that seem to

Ambiguity Capacity as a Kingdom of God Experience

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:

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

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

Sewing Community Together by Faith

We have a very familiar story today in the Gospel of Mark. It is the story of Jesus riding victoriously into Jerusalem; people spread their cloaks on the street, they lay palm branches on the ground, and wave them over their heads. They cry out: “Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is the one that comes

God Will Be God

It has been quite an exciting few days (if you want to call it that). For some of us there is hope, for some of us there is consternation. Indeed, we all have a different view of what the future will hold going forward, even if we claim to be part of the same political