Words of Welcome

Matthew 10:40-42 In his book The Hidden Gifts of Helping: How the Power of Giving, Compassion, and Hope Can Get Us Through Hard Times , Stephen Post suggests that the “recipe for living a rich, less stressful, healthier, and more meaningful life than you thought possible . . . [is to] give of yourself to someone else” (pp. 27-28). The responses I heard from the Peace Week mission teams and from the congregations who helped support their work, such as by providing meals, confirm this observation.  Not only were the recipients of this help blessed, but so were the givers of help.   That is, giving and receiving help is circular – you give and you receive and you give again, and in this relationship between giver and receiver, there is great reward.         In this morning’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew,  Jesus debriefs his disciples after they have returned from a mission trip. He seems to want to know how they were treated.  Hopefully when the teams from Indi

Matthew 28:16-20 To “Give a Witness” is to offer a testimony about what God is doing in your life and in the world.  It’s also a good way of thinking about this morning’s text, in which Jesus gives the “Great Commission.”    “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you.” What memories does this passage stir?  When did you first hear it?  How does this verse speak to you today?  Just a few moments ago we commissioned the delegates for the General Assembly in Nashville, and the theme of this assembly is “Tell It!”, which is another way of saying “give a witness.”   What stories would you want to tell about what God is doing today? Giving a Witness to a Relational God Although by tradition this is Trinity Sunday, Disciples of Christ have always been a bit ambivalent about the Trinity.   In fact, Alexander Campbell chan

Numbers 11:24-30 The biblical prophets aren’t very appealing characters.  Remember Jeremiah?  He was sent packing to Egypt in a big jar.  And then there’s Elisha who cursed a group of boys who were making fun of him because he was bald, and as a result two bears attacked the boys.  Then there’s Jonah who got upset when God spared the people of Nineveh when they repented.  Those are just a few stories about prophets, who on their best days had a tendency to say things that people didn’t want to hear.       I expect that when most of us think of prophets we have in mind a “John the Baptist” type, who dresses funny and maybe has a long beard -- unless she’s a she like Huldah -- and makes you feel uncomfortable when they’re around.  So maybe you weren’t all that pleased to hear Moses say that he’d love it if everyone was a prophet!     Since it’s Pentecost Sunday and we’re supposed to think about the things of the Spirit, it might be good to remember that prophets factor into this s

John 17:1-11 I’ve known a few preachers in my time who after they finished their sermon offered a rather lengthy prayer that was almost another sermon.  In fact it appeared as if the recipient of that prayer was the congregation rather than God.  That’s how I feel when I read John 17.  John begins by saying:   When Jesus finished saying these things, he looked up to heaven and said: “Father the time has come. . . .”  (Jn. 17:1).   There’s a lot of stuff packed into this prayer, much more than we can digest in one sitting.  There is a word that is present in this prayer, however, that speaks to where we have been this past week.  Has the word eternity been on your heart and mind this week?  Last Sunday I shared some of my own feelings about Alice’s death and on Thursday we gathered to remember and celebrate her life.  Her death has caused many of us to think about our own mortality and perhaps about what comes after death.  Stirred by Alice’s example, several members approached m