Text: Mark 8:31-9:8 I have been thinking this week about my grandfather. A little less than a year ago he died and in the weeks to follow, my little brother discovered online a memoir my Grandpa Earl had written for a booklet called “Facing Bereavement” from Alpha Ministries. He tells of how he and…
Lent
Again & Again, God Meets Us
Text: Genesis 9, Mark 1 In Lent, we are reminded that again and again, suffering and brokenness find us. Again and again, the story of Jesus on the cross repeats – every time we witness the injustice and are reminded about how we have forgotten to love. And again and again, God breaks the cycle…
An Act of Holiness
Text: selected verses from John 13 Never before in my life have I thought so much about washing my hands… how about you? I mean, I washed my hands before… and I hope you did, too… But never before did I see it as such a holy and important act. A life saving act. In…
The Stones Would Shout
Text: Luke 19:29-40 If the disciples were silent, the stones would shout. I’ve been thinking a lot about how no matter what happens in this world… no matter the destruction or devastation…no matter the obstacles or despair… there is nothing that can stop God from being praised. About three weeks ago, tornadoes filled the skies…
How Will We Care for One Another?
Text: Acts 4:32-35, 6:1-7 We aren’t quite to Easter yet, but I thought it might be a good idea to take a sneak peek into the future. The life of the early church, told by Luke in the book of Acts, has an awful lot of parallels with our experience right now! Everything was changing.…
You Have Everything You Need
Text: Mark 6:34-44 This week, all of our lives changed. I’m not just talking about this congregation…. Or people of faith… but everyone… everywhere. Our lives were turned upside down. We have had to stop. Stay home. Make adjustments. For some, these are minor inconveniences. For others, the impact of the coronavirus threatens their physical…
Deeper Water
Text: Matthew 18:18-20, Luke 5:1-10 I’ll often come across a quote or a few paragraphs in a devotional that I’ll save for later, thinking – Ahh! This will make a good sermon illustration! Today, as we think a little bit about diving into deeper water in our prayer lives, I remembered a story told by…
The Wilderness: God Provides
Text: Deuteronomy 29:2-6, Mark 1:12-14 A few years ago, I was asked to plan worship for our semi-annual clergy gathering. My team had everything arranged and ready to go. I just had to make sure to arrive early enough in the morning that I could meet with the technical engineer to set up the microphones…