Words of Welcome

    Luke 19:1-10 People often had life-changing experiences when they met Jesus. While not everyone responded positively to his ministry, there were many others who left behind their old lives after they met Jesus and chose to follow him. This was especially true of people like Peter and Andrew, who, along with James and John, left behind their fishing businesses to follow Jesus. Then there’s Levi, who left his tax collection booth when Jesus invited him to join his band of disciples, but not before he threw a banquet for Jesus and his friends. Jesus would add seven more members to his inner circle, but there are others who followed him. Luke also mentions the seventy who went out on a mission. Then there were several women who joined his team after they encountered him, including Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and others who provided for Jesus through their own resources.  Even if they didn’t join the band, there are many other stories of life-changing encounters. ...

Malachi 3:1-4 I will confess that house cleaning doesn’t sit at the top of my favorite things to do in life. While I clean my bathroom, vacuum the family room rug, and sweep and mop the kitchen floor each week, I much prefer working in the yard. Nevertheless, housework has to be done, and done regularly. That’s especially true if you’re going to invite people over for the holidays. So, we dust, vacuum, mop, polish, and wash the things that need to be washed. We do this because it’s important to put our best foot forward when company comes to the house.  The season of Advent has similarities to housecleaning. The readings from Scripture call to mind the need to get ready for the coming of God’s anointed. The challenge facing us during this Advent season is that too often it gets swept aside by all the commotion attached to the holiday season. Since the Christmas shopping season now begins sometime around Halloween if not before, Advent can get lost in the shuffle. Nevertheles...

    William Holman Hunt's "The Light of the World" Matthew 3:1-12 Someone’s Knocking at the Door, Somebody’s Ringing the Bell Someone’s Knocking at the Door,  Somebody’s Ringing the Bell Do me a favor and  open the door and let em in.  (Paul McCartney) Paul McCartney’s song might not be your typical Advent hymn, but it does capture the essence of this morning’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew. It would appear that someone is knocking on the door of our lives. So, will you open the door? Now, if you open the door, the person knocking could be John the Baptist who wants to warn us that change is in the air. The person bearing this message might seem a bit off-putting. According to Matthew John was an interesting character who dressed in camel skin clothes and toted a lunch pail full of locusts and honey. This is the message John brings to those who open the door: "Change your hearts and lives!  Here comes the kingdom of heaven!” (Mt. 3:2, CEB).  ...

  Acts 3:12-21 When Peter and John went to the Temple to pray, a man who had been crippled since birth called out to them, begging for alms. I’m guessing that Peter and John had seen him before this, but this time they responded. Here is their reply laid out in the form of a song I learned long ago .  “ Silver and gold have I none, But such as I have give I thee, In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,  rise up and walk. He went walking and leaping and praising God, Walking and leaping and praising God, In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,  rise up and walk.” If you had been in the crowd and had seen this man “walking and leaping and praising God,” how would you have responded? When Peter saw that a crowd filled with amazement was gathering in Solomon’s Portico, he knew it was time for a sermon. Peter opened his sermon by letting the crowd know that it wasn’t the power or piety of Peter and John that made the man whole. It was faith in th...

The Brazen Serpent (Mt. Nebo) - Giovanni Fantoni     Numbers 21:4-9   When I read the Old Testament passages for Lent, I envisioned a sermon series on the biblical covenants. After all, Disciples use covenant language to define our existence as a people. It’s even more appropriate because the congregation, Region, General Church, as well as the church at large is in a season of transition. Every reading from the Old Testament fit perfectly, except for today’s reading.  Nevertheless, I decided to stretch the definition of covenant so I could speak about the “Healing Covenant.” Whether I succeed in this is yet to be determined. This story is challenging because it features poisonous snakes sent by God to bite the people of Israel because they had spoken against God and Moses. There was an additional challenge, and that had to do with the symbols we’ve been using to set the Table. Pastor Rick let me know that if I was going to put live snakes on the Table he w...

Psalm 51:1-12 There’s a fairly well known biblical story that features King David, Bathsheba, Uriah, and Nathan the Prophet. The story, which is found in 2 Samuel, begins with David spying on the wife of Uriah, one of his military officers, who is away at the front. When David sees her bathing, he grows covetous. He likes what he sees, and as King he believes he can have whatever he pleases. So he sends for Bathsheba, sexually assaults her, and sends her home. He believes he can do this without consequence because he has no equals, or so he believes. Before too long word comes to David that Bathsheba is pregnant. Since Uriah is away at the front, David knows that questions will be raised as to the father. He’s afraid that fingers will point his way. So, he calls Uriah home, hoping Uriah will share his wife’s bed. Then, when the child is born, no one will be the wiser. Unfortunately for David, Uriah is an honorable man, who refuses to take advantage of the comforts of home when...

Luke 19:1-10 We’re in the midst of a conversation about the meaning of the Lord’s Table, but we’ve also been talking about stewardship. The question is what, if anything, do they have to do with each other?  There are those who think it odd that we bring our offerings to the communion table. They might wonder if there is a fee that needs to be paid to receive this meal. Some ask why churches seem to talk so much about money? There are fiduciary reasons, but that’s not all.  Jesus talked a lot about money because he understood that how we view money has a lot to do who we are as children of God. On at least  one occasion,  he suggested that where our treasure lies, there our hearts will be. So perhaps bringing treasure to the Table is a sign of where we want our hearts to be. 

2 Samuel 11:26-12:15 Last Sunday you heard the story of how King David -- who was supposed to be a righteous king and the writer of great spiritual hymns -- took a woman from her husband, raped her, and then had her husband killed to cover up the fact. Bathsheba’s husband was an honorable man who refused to share the comforts of home when his comrades were at the front fighting for the king who had stolen his wife. As I understand it, last Sunday Rick talked about power and how it can corrupt. We human beings have this tendency, when we accumulate great power, to believe that we’re above the law. We can do whatever we want when we want, and no one can stop us. Sometimes we’re brazen about it. We don’t mind if people see us squishing the little guy. At other times we decide to project an image of uprightness to cover the dark side of our lives. After all, reputations do matter.  

Luke 13:1-9 I’m not a gardener.  I do try my best to keep the flowers blooming, the grass growing, the hedges trimmed, and the weeds at bay, but, I’m not gifted with a green thumb.  But, whatever my deficiencies as a gardener, I do know that if you plant a fruit tree, you expect it to eventually bear fruit.  So, if it doesn’t bear fruit, shouldn’t you pull it up and replace it?     Jesus told a parable about a fig tree that was three years old.  Since it hadn’t produced any fruit, the impatient land owner told the gardener to replace it.  He was tired of waiting for his fruit.     This parable follows after a conversation about sin and repentance.   I realize that these aren’t topics that we enjoy discussing, but they’re part of the biblical story.  Jesus is talking to a group about whether the end is near.  Just like today, people were quite sure that the world is so corrupt that God might as well blow t...

Mark 1:1-8 According to Proverbs you should keep an eye on nature, because you can learn important life lessons.  So if you can learn from the ants, what about the squirrels that are always running around my backyard? Our family enjoys watching the ever-fatter squirrels scurrying across our deck and yard carrying nuts and seeds in their mouths.  While I’m not thrilled with their attempts to  plant trees in the lawn, I understand why they do this, and the show does keep us entertained.  As enjoyable as the show is, what lesson might we learn from their behavior? Is it the fact that they seem to know instinctively how to prepare for the winter long before the first snow begins to fall?  It’s just built into their systems.  They don’t seem to need any training to know that they need to fatten up in the good times and to store up supplies for the winter.   After all, they can’t drive to the grocery store if the fridge gets empty. We huma...