Words of Welcome

  Mark 5:21-43 The Gospel of Mark offers us a fast-moving story. Everything seems to happen immediately, one thing after another. Since Mark’s Jesus rarely stops to teach, it’s mostly action. If you like action movies, you’ll like Mark’s Gospel. Mark stops long enough in chapter 4 to offer us a few parables, beginning with the Parable of the Sower, but we quickly move on to the next destination.  In fact, after that long day of teaching, Jesus got in a boat heading across the lake and fell asleep. He was so sleepy that not even a big storm could wake him up. When his frightened disciples, several of whom were fishermen, finally woke him up so he could share in their suffering, he stilled the storm allowing them to safely reach the opposite shore. No sooner had they emerged from the boat than a demon-possessed man ran toward him. Jesus responded by delivering the man from his demons, sending them into a herd of pigs that ran into the lake and drowned. Since that didn’t make the ow

1 Samuel 17:57-18:5 The American Psychological Association defines friendship as: A voluntary relationship between two or more people that is relatively long-lasting and in which those involved tend to be concerned with meeting the others’ needs and interests as well as satisfying their own desires. Friendships frequently develop through shared experiences in which the people involved learn that their association with one another is mutually gratifying. One of the key dimensions of this definition is its emphasis on mutuality, which means true friendships are not one-sided. They also tend to be long-lasting. Many of us have friendships that go back to childhood. We may only have a few deep friendships in life, but these and other friendships bring joy and sustenance to our lives. The chorus of the song “ That’s What Friends Are For” captures this truth for us: Keep smilin', keep shinin' Knowing you can always  count on me for sure That's what friends are f

    Lone Cypress, Pebble Beach, CA 2 Corinthians 5:6-20 Last Sunday we heard Paul invite the members of the Corinthian church to live by faith by focusing on eternal things that can’t be seen, rather than temporary things that can be seen. This morning we continue that conversation, as Paul once again invites us to walk by faith and not by sight. He wants to assure them that whether they are in the body or not, God is always present with them and that God has a purpose for their lives.  Paul tells the Corinthians that he sought to live in a way that pleased God. If he could do that then when he stood before God’s judgment seat he could give an account of his life confident that he had given his all to the work of God. He wants the same to be true for the Corinthian believers. Standing before God’s judgment seat to give an account of our lives might seem a bit scary because nobody enjoys going before a judge. I’ve only had to go to court once, and that was for a speeding ticket n

  2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 When the Hubble telescope was set in place, it brought the vastness of the universe into focus in ways never before imagined. But, after it was deployed, the scientists working with the telescope discovered a flaw in the lens that made the image fuzzy. So, NASA launched a shuttle with a crew that could repair the telescope, making it possible to view the wonders of the universe with greater clarity.  I also know what it means to bring things into focus on a more personal level. That’s because every morning since I was in fourth grade, I put on my glasses so I can see the world with greater clarity than I can without them. Once upon a time, I might have been considered blind, but now, thanks to the science of optics I can see clearly!   In our reading from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church, he speaks about focusing on things that cannot be seen with the naked eye. He tells the Corinthians that what we see and experience with our senses is tempo