Words of Welcome

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...

  Philippians 1:3-11 Last Sunday, we lit the candle of hope. Today we light the Peace candle. The message of peace is found in Paul’s greeting in his letter to the Philippian church. He offers a word of “grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” ( Phil. 1:2 ) This word of peace comes from Paul even as he sits in a jail cell, and he is at peace with God and the world because of the partnership that exists between himself and the congregation at Philippi. Paul speaks here of his prayer that love would overflow them as they live as partners in God’s grace, which leads to a “harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.” It is this partnership that is rooted in love and grace that leads to the harvest of righteousness that serves as the source of Paul’s joy as he sits in a prison cell. What Paul is talking about here is an intimate friendship with the Philippians that brings joy even as he sits in this jail cell. He...

Philippians 1:3-11 We entered Advent last Sunday with the choir leading us through the Christmas story in narrative and song. They did us a favor by connecting the biblical story with our contemporary story. They reminded us that the Holy Family ended up as refugees, guided by angels to safety. With that broader story in mind, both ancient and modern, we hear the Advent invitation to prepare ourselves for the Advent that took place some two thousand years in the past and the Advent that is yet to come. The path we are taking will lead to that moment on Christmas Eve when we will hear the message that  Jesus is the reflection of God’s glory, and the one who sustains all things by his word ( Heb. 1:1-4 ). Hearing that message we can join the angels in singing “ Gloria in excelsis Deo ”; “Glory to God in the highest.” Christmas Eve will come soon enough, but there is still more to do before we get there. Last Sunday, we lit the candle of hope, and today we lit the P...

Ruth 1:1-18 I thought about singing Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again,” but thought better of it.  But I could have used that song title as the title for this sermon.  It is, after all, a sermon about spiritual journeys in the company of others. Our text this morning reminds us that migration is a common theme in the biblical story.  Beginning with Adam and Eve’s departure from Eden and on through Abraham and Sarah’s journey from Ur to Canaan, Jacob’s various journeys, including a final one that took him and his sons to Egypt, and then the return of Jacob’s descendants to the Promised Land with Moses.  Jesus himself was an itinerant preacher, who traveled in the company of his disciples, and of course, Paul is known for his missionary journeys.  These journeys, like most journeys, have some purpose to them. It might be famine or it might be war.  It could be that God has sent a person on a journey to bring a message of good news. ...

1 Samuel 17:57-18:5 What is a friend?  In the age of Facebook, that’s not as easy to answer as it was before the advent of Social Media.  I have nearly a thousand Facebook friends, but truth be told I’m not quite sure who many of them are!  Still, I’ve found Facebook to be a wonderful way to reconnect with old friends and make new ones.   Of course, we’ve always known that there are different levels of friendship.  Some can last for a week at camp and others a lifetime.  Some are extremely close and others are more distant. But this need to make friends is a reminder of what God observes in the Garden – It’s not good for humans to be alone.       I know that Facebook or Twitter isn’t for everyone, but we all find ways of connecting and reconnecting with others. That’s the reason many go to reunions.  We like to keep rekindling old friendships.  But, it’s not enough to keep old friendships alive, we have continu...