Words of Welcome

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1   The Hubble telescope has brought into focus the vastness of the universe.  It allows us to see the universe in ways never before thought possible.  But, when it was first deployed they discovered a flaw in the lens that left this new view somewhat fuzzy.  But, NASA launched a shuttle that went out and repaired the telescope, and now we can see the wonders of the universe with a clarity never before possible.  What was fuzzy is now clear. But, you don’t have to go to the Hubble telescope to know the importance of bringing things into focus.  Every morning, when I wake up, I put on my glasses, because without them the world is a complete blur.  In an earlier age, I would have been, for all intents and purposes, blind.   In the Gospels, Jesus occasionally heals a person of blindness.  On one occasion, when he was Bethsaida, a man who was blind was brought to him.  Jesus spit on his eyes and th...

Luke 20:27-38 In our opening hymn we remembered the saints of God, “who from their labors rest, who thee by faith before the world confessed, thy name O Jesus, be forever blest!” Because today is the Sunday after All Saints Day, it’s appropriate for us to stop and remember all the saints of God who no longer walk this earth, including those who have impacted our own lives in powerful ways. Each of us can name a saint of God, whose life has exemplified the grace, mercy and love of God. Therefore, I would like to remember the Rev. LLoyd Saatjian, who served for many years as pastor of First United Methodist Church in Santa Barbara. LLoyd died in July of 2009, but in life he was my colleague in ministry, friend, and mentor. He encouraged me to become a leader in the local faith community and stood by me when I experienced difficulties in my ministry in Santa Barbara. After I left that pastorate, he continued to stand with me, helping me to consider what my call to ministry might look l...

Ephesians 1:3-14     The Christmas season is drawing to a close.  In fact, we will take down the Christmas decorations after the service, even though technically the season of Christmas doesn’t end until Tuesday.  By my count, this is the tenth day of Christmas, and so my true love should give me “ten lords a leaping.”  Now, I don’t know what I would do with them, should Cheryl decide to give me this gift, but, according to the song, that’s what’s on tap for today!      While the decorations and the celebrations of the Christmas season are wonderful, a new year has begun, and so it’s time to get on with the journey.  That is the message of the song we will close worship with this morning, that great song of Epiphany:     O star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright,     Westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light.         ...

1 Peter 2:2-10 I knew an older gentleman who lived on the property at the Santa Barbara church. He had served as a kind of property manager, but by the time I met him, he was around 80 and had slowed down just a bit. Still, I was amazed at how he could take junk and turn it into something useful. Indeed, in Harold’s eyes, it seemed, nothing was useless. All you needed was a little imagination. The world is full of people, communities, and even nations that feel useless. We call it low self-esteem. It plays havoc on people’s lives, and in some cases even pushes people into violence. Just think about the young man who went on a killing spree just a year ago at Virginia Tech or the boys who shot up Combine High School several years back. In both cases the perpetrators believed that they were worthless and had nothing to live for. While these are extreme examples, the anger and humiliation that they felt afflict many in our world. Peter writes to people on the margins of society and tells ...