Words of Welcome

Luke 5:1-11 Ice fishing came up during a conversation after our Ash Wednesday service. I’ve never gone ice fishing, and from what I’ve heard, I don’t know if I ever will go ice fishing. I did learn something, however. Apparently, you have to move around the ice, searching for just the right spot – or you’ll sit there all day in the cold and not catch a thing. Indeed, it may be necessary to go out into deeper waters, where those elusive fish might just be hiding. This morning’s scripture text offers us another fish story. In fact, this one might sound a bit familiar, because just a few weeks ago we heard Mark’s version of the story of Jesus inviting Peter, Andrew, James and John, to join him in a fishing venture. Luke’s version is a bit different, because in this one, Jesus goes out onto the lake to do some fishing with his new group of assistants. Despite their apparent differences, both texts offer us an invitation to join Jesus in the work of evangelism – that is, sharing th...

Acts 10:34-43 I know you’ve all been in a situation where someone tells you something "important" and then tells you – this is for your ears only. Don’t tell anyone. It’s just between us. It might be something about the job or a family situation, but whatever it is you’re sworn to secrecy. That kind of thing happens all the time, and often for good reason. Though, it’s tempting to tell others. When I’m told something like that, I often will try and clarify it. Is it okay to tell Cheryl? Or something like that. But the reason we’re told to keep it under our hat is that some things just need to be kept quiet and private – for the good of all. There are some things we just love to share – whether it’s the latest gossip or news of a friend or family member who has done something interesting or even heroic. We especially like to talk about our kids – if we have them. You know, like: Brett has received his acceptance letter to Cal State Northridge! 1. UNBINDING THE GOSPEL But th...

John 17:20-26 The bookstores are full of best-sellers warning us that religion is dangerous. Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens have written books that have caught the fancy of people who believe that religion, including Christianity, is at best irrational, and at worst “really does poison everything.” Religious fanatics who fly planes into tall buildings, blow up clinics, protest at funerals, or offer bombastic statements about any number of issues, only give support to these claims. And as for you and me, well, apparently we give cover to the fanatics simply by professing faith in God. I could try to ignore the critics, but some of their critiques are helpful, because they point out our tendency toward self-righteousness and feelings of superiority. And so when I saw the announcement that Pluralism Sunday would be observed on Pentecost, I decided to look into it and then I signed us up. Pluralism Sunday is sponsored by The Center for Progressive Christianity, and w...