Words of Welcome

 John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15.  If you’ve been to a tourist destination like Orlando,  Vegas, or Niagra Falls, you probably encountered a museum that proclaimed that “truth is stranger than fiction.” You may have even paid the admission price to check out the claims. I’m talking about Ripley’s Believe or Not Museums. I can’t verify the claims since I’ve never ventured inside any of the museums but I’ve passed by them. Since I didn’t go in, I have to take their word that truth is stranger than fiction.   You don’t have to go to a Ripley’s museum to encounter strange “truths.” That’s because we are living in a “post-truth” world. What do I mean by post-truth? One online dictionary defines “post-truth” as “relating to or existing in an environment in which facts are viewed as irrelevant, or less important than personal beliefs and opinions, and emotional appeals are used to influence public opinion.” If we are living in a post-truth world, then it’s not surprising that so many folks are bu

Acts 10:44-48 Last Sunday we heard a baptism story and witnessed Richard’s baptism. This morning we hear another baptism story that’s part of a much larger story that begins with an angelic visitation to a devout God-fearing Roman centurion who was stationed in Caesarea. The angel told Cornelius that his prayers had been answered and he should send for Peter who was staying in Joppa with Simon the Tanner. It was lunchtime when Cornelius’ messengers arrived at Simon’s house and Peter was up on the roof praying. While he prayed he had a food-related vision. In this vision, God told Peter not to consider things to be unclean if God declared them to be clean. So when went downstairs and greeted the messengers, he put two and two together and went with them.  When Peter entered the house of Cornelius, he confessed that he had always believed that it was unlawful for a Jew to be in the house of a Gentile, but apparently, God had changed the rules. What he had learned from the vision was

Acts 8:26-40 What’s your baptism story? I’ll confess that mine is a bit complicated. It starts at the Catholic hospital where I was born. Apparently, the nurses baptized me just in case I didn’t survive. That baptism was followed by one at my parent’s Episcopal Church. I don’t remember either of them, but I do remember being immersed in a creek when I was seventeen. Then there’s the baptism in the Spirit that I experienced a bit later. So, I believe I’ve covered all the bases. Your story might be similar or it might be different, but whatever it is, this morning we have the opportunity to remember and reaffirm our baptisms as we witness Richard’s baptism.    We’ve already heard a baptism story from the Book of Acts that’s rooted in the commission Jesus gave to his followers at his ascension. Jesus told them that before long the Holy Spirit would empower them so they could proclaim the Gospel of Jesus to the entire world, starting in Jerusalem ( Acts 1:8 ).  One of the members of