Words of Welcome

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 I find Paul’s Corinthian letters to be intriguing. There is so much going on in these letters. They address real life issues and concerns. So, when I was in seminary, I took two classes that focused on all or part of 1 Corinthians. In fact, a friend and I drove across LA from Pasadena to Westwood in my less than reliable Ford Maverick to study 1 Corinthians with Scott Bartchy. Going to class wasn’t a problem, but coming home around five o’clock on the 405 Freeway was an adventure. But it was worth the effort! When I sat down to plan my sermons for the season of Epiphany, and noticed that the epistle readings in the lectionary came from the Corinthian letters, I got excited.  Paul wrote these letters to a congregation filled with new converts who came out of a very different cultural context than he did. So, when they heard Paul’s message of grace and freedom, they interpreted it in light of their former lives, and what they heard was an invitation t...

Romans 8:1-11 I’ve been preaching from Paul’s letter to the Romans these past several weeks.  In Romans Paul contrasts two paths – the way of death and the way of life, the way of the flesh and the way of the Spirit.  That theme continues in Romans 8, where Paul begins with an important announcement: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  To live in union with Christ means being set free from the guilt we often carry with us in life.  That guilt can include the things we’ve done, and the things we’ve left undone. There’s another way of putting it – from now on, we don’t have to live with regrets.  No more – I wish I’d done that; or, I wish I hadn’t done that.  And we all have a treasure trove of regrets to let go.  In fact, we’re seeing this play out right now as LeBron James returns to Cleveland.  He has regrets about how he handled his move to Miami, and the owner, Dan Gilbert has regrets ab...