The Pentecost story often interests children, but can be difficult for them to follow as presented in Acts 2. The opening events of verses 1-4 (especially in the NRSV) catch children's attention. But the long list of unfamiliar ethnic groups (vss. 8-11) can distract them...
A mass shooting in Virginia Beach, leaving twelve people dead. A Catholic bishop spending millions of the church’s dollars on an extravagant lifestyle. A heat wave in India recording eye-popping 120-degree temperatures. A proposal to discontinue funding for educational and physical activity programs for unaccompanied...
New Sermon Series: Coming June 16, 2019. Embark on a journey with us as we meet Hosea, Haggai, Zephaniah and friends this summer and hear how God speaks into our contemporary lives through these ancient prophets. Click here for more info about our Worship Services....
The unofficial start of summer is here! Picnics and parades, flags and fireworks, hot dogs and hamburgers, watermelon and waterslides—this weekend we will remember and celebrate our freedom, our country, our family and friends, and our many, many blessings. Memorial Day reminds us that no matter...
There is a magnet on my refrigerator that says, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” It has felt a bit like I am standing under a rain cloud of late. So far this week I’ve...
This Sunday is Mother’s Day. If you reside in the United States, you practically have to live under a rock not to know this. Florists are in high gear, restaurants will be in “all hands on deck” mode, and I can only imagine what the...
Whew! Easter Sunday is over. Every church musician, support staff, and pastor is breathing a sigh of relief this week. Don’t get me wrong—it was awesome, jubilant, over-the-top, fabulous, joyous. Even the superlatives need superlatives to describe our Day of Resurrection festivities. I was thrilled...
Resurrection. New life. Second chances. Redemption. A fresh start. These are all good ways to talk about the meaning of Easter. Last Sunday, what churches call Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday, marked the beginning of Holy Week. During this week Christians trace Jesus’ journey from his...
It is ten days until Easter. Ten days to complete our Lenten journey, to contemplate Jesus’ act of sacrificial love that will end on a cross next Friday. Whether it has felt like a long forty days to you, or whether the time seems to...
Do you ever feel like you are a little (or a lot) “late to the party”? This happens to me with some frequency, in part because I don’t watch a lot of television and I’m not very social media savvy. The most recent occasion of...