Words of Welcome

2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12-19 What religious symbols stir in you an awareness of God’s presence? Is it the communion table? The chalice and the bread that sit on the table? Is it an open Bible or a pulpit? For the people ancient Israel one of the most potent symbols of God’s presence was the Ark of the Covenant. This Ark, according to the book of Exodus, was a wooden box overlaid with pure gold. On that box sat the mercy seat and two cherubs with wings outstretched. This wasn’t a magical box, but it did represent the presence of God to the people (Exodus 25:10-22).  In modern times this sacred symbol became the centerpiece of a popular action-adventure movie. You may have even seen this movie titled Raiders of the Lost Ark!  The setting of the movie is World War II. Adolph Hitler is trying to collect artifacts that can help empower his dreams of world conquest. One of these artifacts that he wants to find and control is the Ark, which according to the book of Hebrews conta...

Isaiah 6:1-8     Every Sunday we recite the prayer that Jesus is said to have taught his disciples.  It’s a prayer that many of us know by heart.  There is, of course, a debate as to whether this is a model for us to follow or a prayer to be said as is.  There are good arguments on both sides, but my sense is that this really isn’t an either/or situation.  Instead, we will be blessed both by using the prayer as a model and by using it as our own prayer to God.      John Calvin suggested that while the form has value, we shouldn’t feel so bound to the form that we’re unable to change a word or syllable.  The point is not the form but the meaning, but still the form has great beauty and meaning.  And so he writes:       Truly, no other can ever be found that equals this in perfection, much less surpasses it.  Here nothing is left out that ought to be thought of in the praises of God, nothing...

Isaiah 6:1-8 We love celebrities. We enjoy reading about them and watching the news reports. Oh, I know, you may not want to admit it, but we’re all at least a little bit interested in the “lifestyles of the rich and famous.” In fact, most of us secretly hope that someday we’ll run into a celebrity. Of course, if we do have such an encounter, it’s possible that we’d become a bit tongue tied or say or do the wrong thing. Now, I’ve had a couple of celebrity sightings and encounters in my life, but for the most part I’ve kept quiet – so as not to say the wrong thing. On one occasion I was sitting in the surgery waiting room at a Santa Barbara hospital with a family from the church. Looking out the window of the room I noticed John Cleese pacing the hall outside. If you don’t know who John Cleese is, he’s a British actor and comedian who has appeared in Monty Python movies and more recently as Q in some of the James Bond movies. We would soon learn that the reason he was there w...