Words of Welcome

    1 Timothy 1:12-17           We’ve heard a lot of bad news this past week. Of course, for this congregation, Marilyn’s death hits us hard because she has been such a steadfast part of the life of this congregation. She will be missed. But that’s not the only bad news we’ve heard this week. That’s because once again, gun violence is in the news. The most talked-about act of violence was the murder of political activist Charlie Kirk in Utah. That same day, a student walked into a school in Colorado and wounded two classmates and then killed himself. Then I read the news of a father in Port Huron, who shot and killed his seventeen-year-old son and wounded his other two children. This kind of news, which seems increasingly more common, ends up numbing us to the ongoing violence in our world. People wonder where God is present in all of this. The word we hear this morning from 1 Timothy speaks of God’s mercy that strengthens us as we navigate this w...

  Luke 16:19-31 At Christmas time our family watches as many versions of A Christmas Carol as we can. In Dickens’ tale, we see a man consumed by money. As time goes on, he turns everyone around him into an object to be used and abused. Scrooge’s life story reflects the word we hear in 1 Timothy 6. According to that word,  “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” ( 1 Tim. 6:10 ).  While the pursuit of wealth plays a central role in the Christmas Carol and in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, there is one major difference. Scrooge doesn’t spend his money on himself. However, neither Scrooge nor the Rich Man, show any concern for the needs of their neighbors. Scrooge has only one goal in life, and that’s to fill his vault with gold. Even though he’s the richest person in town, he’s also the most miserable. Since he’s miserable, he makes everyone else’s life miserable. Fortunately for Ebenezer Scrooge, he receives a visit from the ghost of his f...

1 Timothy 1:12-17 A lot of preachers have been wondering what to say this morning about September 11th.  There are those who believe that it’s best to say nothing, but most of us believe that this particular anniversary can’t pass by unnoticed.  That day is seared into our memories, and many among us have found it difficult to move on.  Fear remains.  Anger remains.  Grief remains.  In the days after 9-11 the word rang out: “Never Forget.”  But does this mean that we can’t move into the future?     As we wonder about how to move on, the past remains vivid.  Have you pondered the question of where you were when you first heard the news about the planes hitting the Twin Towers and the Pentagon and then the news about another jet crashing into a field in Pennsylvania?    This event question ranks with the news about Pearl Harbor, the Oklahoma City Bombing,  the assassination of John Kennedy, his brother Bobby,...