Today I encountered a situation that comes up frequently for most anyone in my line of work and in fact, for most anyone who pays attention to people and cares about the dignity and well-being of others. The door bell of the church rang not...
Church: All for One and One for All Ephesians 4:1-16 May 27, 2018 M. Michelle Fincher Calvary Presbyterian Church We are at a transition point in Ephesians, moving from an exuberant exploration of who God is and the way God works to a detailed account of who we are and...
“Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters.” This is the opening line of Isaiah 55, a poetic, poignant, powerful chapter of the Old Testament writing ascribed to the prophet Isaiah. The chapter is an invitation to Israel to enjoy life with God which is marked by...
Church: Grounded in Christ’s Love Revelation 2:1-5a and Ephesians 3:5-21 May 20, 2018—Pentecost Michelle Fincher Calvary Presbyterian Church Growing up in Christ. That’s what Paul has been encouraging us to do in his letter to the Ephesians. Paul sees spiritual maturity as being integrally related to the church which is...
This past weekend I spent two days in the dirt. On Friday I planted flower pots, pruned bushes, mowed the grass, put down mulch, and declared the deck “open for business” after hanging baskets and pots were moved into place. On Saturday I worked on...
Church: Christ’s Peace in the Broken Wall Ephesians 2:11-22 May 13, 2018 Michelle Fincher Calvary Presbyterian Church So far in Ephesians, Paul’s message about growing up in Christ breaks in on us in a dazzling exposition of what is going on in this world in which we live. That is...
For the past month I have been preaching about the Church and simultaneously, I have been experiencing church in ways that have left me speechless with wonder and delight. Last week I wrote about the myriad celebrations that had occurred in my community—a wedding, an...
What’s So Amazing About Grace? Ephesians 2:1-10 May 6, 2018 Michelle Fincher Calvary Presbyterian Church Imagine that you out tomorrow—perhaps at the grocery store or at work or the gym or picking up your dry cleaning—somewhere you routinely go that requires you to be in your car. You return to...
Are you ever so excited or happy or overjoyed that you think you might burst? The weekend just past was like that at Calvary. A wedding, a third-grader receiving a Bible, voting on new Elders, celebrating Calvary’s 70th birthday, participating in the ordination of one...
Bless God, Bless Others Ephesians 1:15-23 April 29, 2018 Michelle Fincher Calvary Presbyterian Church What better day could there be to talk about the blessings of God than today when we celebrate the blessing of Sophia being presented her Bible, the Karikari wedding yesterday, Calvary’s 70 years of faithful ministry,...