Words of Welcome

Adoration of the Three Kings - Andrea Mantegna (15th century)  Matthew 2:1-12 In the beginning, when God was busy creating things,  darkness covered the earth, and God said: “Let there be light; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good” ( Gen. 1:1-4 ). From the very beginning of the biblical story we see the light of God shining into areas of darkness so that the people can experience the presence of God. This morning is not only the first Sunday of the year; it’s also the Day of Epiphany . Growing up at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church we celebrated Epiphany with a special evening service followed by a time of fellowship that featured a cake with three Monopoly pieces baked in. One was a thimble, which meant that whoever got that piece of cake had to sew something for the church in the coming year. Then there was a piece that represented the cake, and whoever got it, had to host the next year’s feast. Finally, there was a third piece, but I can’t re...

Matthew 2:1-12 One of the first songs most of us learned as children was this old English lullaby: Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high,   Like a diamond in the sky. It’s not a Christmas carol or even an Epiphany hymn, but the third stanza seems to fit today’s service:   Then the traveller in the dark, Thanks you for your tiny spark, He could not see which way to go,   If you did not twinkle so. Light pollution makes it difficult to see the stars in the night, but if you get away from civilization, maybe go up into the mountains, you might get a sense of how the stars looked to the ancient world.  No wonder ancient travelers looked to the stars for guidance.  If you knew the movement of the stars, you’d know where you were and where you were going.  They were the original GPS, and they weren’t nearly as annoying!    According to Matthew, Magi – Zoroastrian priest...

A Guest Sermon -- First Christian Church of Lompoc © David L. Matson 2003 John 17:20-23; 2 John 7-11; 1 John 2:18-19 Boy the way Glen Miller played Songs that made the hit parade. Guys like us we had it made, Those were the days. Didn’t need no welfare state. Everybody pulled his weight. Gee our old LaSalle ran great. Those were the days. And those were the days. Those were the days when they were indeed “all in the family.” Archie and Meathead living under the same roof. Edith and Gloria trying their dead-level best to keep peace in the family. If you were like me growing up in the Seventies, you tuned in to this very popular television show every Saturday night to watch this dysfunctional family b...