Messages

Inspired by Acts 1: 1-11 The beginning of the Book of Acts begins with a scene much like the beginning of our current pandemic; an experience so unbelievable that all are left standing dazed and confused, struggling to make sense of all that had been taken from them. Jesus, resurrected and returned just forty days early, […]

‘Go back to the country you came from.’ My father was hard of hearing, so my 4-year-old son had to tell my father what the mean lady said. When they came home, my parents were shaken.  ‘Didn’t anyone say anything?’ I asked them. And they said, “No. There were a crowd of people who watched, who […]

Though the backstory to today’s passage is helpful to understand, I want to warn you that the information falls short of anything leading us to a, “Oh, now this makes sense!” There is a lot more to Acts 7:55-60 than Acts 7:55-60: Acts 7: 55-60 is merely the abbreviated ending of a tragic story about […]

Inspired by Acts 2: 42-47Gram was not my grandmother, but at 99 years of age, this was how she was known to everyone in the church.  This is a story about Gram.  I was covering the phones in the church office for Gram’s biological granddaughter the day the police called the church office to say […]

This particular morning, I experienced a slight glitch in my default childcare system. The third service was just beginning, and, since I had no responsibilities in the third service that Sunday, I was packing up to go home. I was packing up to go home when I realized the only thing that had not been […]

There seems to be no better time to enter into this exploration of corporate stories in the midst of crisis than when together we stand at the entrance of Holy Week. We begin today a story that most churches will begin tomorrow; a story Christians remember and celebrate as the moment Jesus enters Jerusalem as […]

It wasn’t the greatest feeling I’ve ever had. Standing in front of everyone last week during the time of greeting rambling on about COVID-19 and not being sure what the next right thing to do was. Still, even in retrospect, I am not sure I can think of a more comfortable alternative. I wasn’t sure […]

A message inspired by John 4:5-6; 31-38I felt very on top of things last Saturday when I sent Connor an email including both my scripture passage and my theme for today. Early planning allowed for a creative solution to avoid preaching on the upcoming lectionary passage which just happened to be the same passage I […]

Inspired by 1 Corinthians 2: 1-12There is an overarching theme in 1 Corinthians leading us to reimagine discipleship as a lifestyle that is compassionately connected and intentionally countercultural. To imagine, as Paul suggests, living in this world while behaving as though we are not of this world.  Let’s begin with the basics:When Paul cleans out […]

Another Message Inspired by Isaiah 49: 1-7 Isaiah 49: 1-7, entitled, “The Servant’s Mission,” is my new favorite scripture. It seems to say, in seven consecutive verses, everything there is to say about being a disciple of Christ, a Chosen One sent on a servant’s mission. Of course, to really hear the Scripture, to feel it […]