Sunday, February 15, 2926, Transfiguration Sunday – Exodus 24:12-18, Psalm 2, Psalm 99, 2 Peter 1:16-21, Matthew 17:1-9 For the last week or so, I’ve been in the grips of a great spiritual struggle. I share this because I want you to know that even those of us who serve in ministry roles or who […]
Sunday, February 1, 2026 – Micah 6:1-8, Psalm 15, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Matthew 5:1-12 Our first reading today is a well-known section from the Book of Micah. Who was Micah? He was a minor prophet in the 8th-century BC from Judea, known for defending the poor against corrupt leaders and warning of God’s judgment on
Sunday, January 25, 2026 – Isaiah 9:1-4, Psalm 27:1, 4-9, 1 Corinthians 1:10-18, Matthew 4:12-23 Have you ever been in a place of complete darkness? Here in Bradenton, we’re surrounded by streetlights, building lights, and the constant glow of modern life. There’s so much light pollution that we rarely experience true darkness at all. Even
Sunday, November 2, 2025, All Saints Sunday – Isaiah 1:10-18, Psalm 32:1-7, 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12, Luke 19:1-10 Let’s be honest—we all know what it feels like to be lost, whether it’s losing our way in life, feeling out of place, or wondering if anyone truly notices us. Sometimes, we feel invisible in a crowd,
Sunday, October 19, 2025 – Genesis 32:22-31, Psalm 121, 2 Timothy 3:14—4:5, Luke 18:1-8 As we gather around today’s readings, a powerful thread emerges: persistence. In Genesis, we encounter Jacob at a crossroads—wrestling not just with a mysterious stranger, but with his past, his fears, and ultimately with God. Out of this struggle comes blessing
One of the things I love most about scripture is how, even thousands of years later, these ancient stories still have the power to surprise us, to challenge us, and to inspire us. Today, as we hear about the healing of Naaman, the Syrian general, and the ten lepers whom Jesus heals, we are reminded
Sunday, June 22, 2025 – Isaiah 65:1-9, Psalm 22:19-28, Galatians 3:23-29, Luke 8:26-39 I want to begin today with a question: Have you ever felt as though God is far away—perhaps hidden or silent just when you needed God most? One of those childhood games that never seems to go out of fashion is hide
Sunday, May 18 – Acts 11:1-18, Psalm 148, Revelation 21:1-6, John 13:31-35 [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=\”\”]Have you ever had the experience of something that you initially thought was a bad thing turning into a good thing? When I lost my job at the University of the South during Covid in 2020, I was devastated. I didn’t necessarily
Sunday, May 4 – Acts 9:1-6 [7-20], Psalm 30, Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19 I’m currently reading a book called Why Religion Went Obsolete, by Christian Smith, a sociologist at the University of Notre Dame (see his conversation with Tripp Fuller below). In it, Smith writes about societal movements and changes since the 1990s that came
Thursday, April 17, 2025, Maundy Thursday – Gospel: John 13:1-17, 31b-35, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 20-27 In 2023, I had the incredible privilege of co-leading a spiritual pilgrimage to the Isle of Iona off the coast of Scotland. It was quite a journey getting there. We of course flew overnight to Glasgow and then after a restful
