I just returned from a vacation to the Canadian province of Quebec. It was a spectacular nine days—a river cruise on the Saguenay Fjord, whale watching (we spotted Minke, humpback and fin whales!), croissants and chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) in quantities that should be illegal,...
Institutions are indispensable. We cannot get along in our complex world without the order, stability and benefits supplied by our governmental, religious, educational, financial and social institutions. But as we all know, institutions are a mixed bag. They are necessary and they do much good,...
My church is getting a new organ. It’s not a “new-new” organ, but it’s new to us. Another church in our area is being torn down to make way for affordable housing. That church’s congregation will move back in to the new high rise once...
Dear Friends, I was on vacation and “off the grid,” so to speak, when the tragic events of Orlando unfolded eleven days ago. Like many of you, the more I heard the more horrified I became, and because I was away I did not have my...
“Do not judge,” says Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Those are very direct words Jesus uses and seemingly very clear ones, as well. Yet, I wonder how they are heard in a culture that claims to value tolerance yet still struggles mightily with...
This past Sunday I preached on one of the most familiar parts of the Sermon on the Mount. The Gospel of Matthew records it at the end of Chapter Six where Jesus asks a profound question: “Can any of you add a single hour to...
Giving, praying and fasting: these are the three religious practices Jesus specifically addresses in the Sermon on the Mount. Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve explored the first two. Finally, we get to the last of the three, fasting. In many parts of the evangelical...
Last week we looked at the first of three spiritual practices that Jesus addresses in the Sermon on the Mount—giving. This week we focus on praying. Prayer is, for a lot of people, a mysterious, challenging undertaking. For starters, nobody can tell us for sure...
The Sermon on the Mount covers three chapters in the Gospel of Matthew. In the middle chapter, Matthew 6, Jesus turns his attention to three religious practices that people of many faiths have practiced for millennia: giving, praying, and fasting. According to Jesus there is...
This Sunday is Pentecost which is the day each year that the Church celebrates the Holy Spirit, that third and often misunderstood member of “the Trinity.” In my church, as in many liturgical churches, we will celebrate Pentecost by wearing something red. I like the...