Sunday, November 3, 2024 – Mark 12:28-34, also Ruth 1:1-18, Psalm 146, Hebrews 9:11-14 It seems to me the world is made up of two different kinds of people: those who are kind even when it may not be expected, and those who aren’t. I’ve always thought it was a major red flag when I […]
Sunday, October 27, 2024 – Reformation Sunday The dialogue below has been adapted from “A Visit with Martin Luther,” written by Rev. Drue Warner of Good News Church in Suwanee, GA and “A Visit with Katie Luther,” written by Hilda Demuth-Lutze, author of Kingdom of the Birds. I delivered this by playing both parts. Today
Sunday, October 20 2024 – Mark 10:35-45, also Isaiah 53:4-12, Psalm 91:9-16, and Hebrews 5:1-10. The theme of our readings today is the suffering servant who gives up his own life for the sake of the whole. I have to admit, for good or for ill, I’ve never had to live my life in the
Sunday, October 13, 2024 – Mark 10: 17-31, also Amos 5:6-7, 10-15, Psalm 90:12-17, and Hebrews 4:12-16. I love a good mystery, especially the British shows like Grantchester and, more recently, Magpie Murders. I love glimpsing hidden clues that solve the puzzle. Today’s gospel about the rich man is a kind of mystery that can
Sunday, September 29, 2024 – Mark 9:30-37 also Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29, Psalm 19:7-14, James 5:13-20 I first began to understand the connection between food and its effects on my physical and emotional health in the mid-1990s, when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Not only did I experience physical pain and chronic fatigue, but also
Sunday, September 22, 2024 – Mark 9:30-37 also Jeremiah 11:18-20, Psalm 54, James 3:13—4:3, 7-8a Several years ago, when I left the corporate world to become a performing singer and songwriter, I was also doing some consulting work. I’d had a long career in marketing and communications, and so I used all of my skills
Sunday, September 15, 2024 – Mark 8:27-38 also Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm 116:1-9, James 3:1-12 Our readings today – aside from the gospel – touch on the potential dangers of speaking and the value of listening. Both Isaiah and the Psalm mention our listening to God and God’s listening to us. And then James weighs in
Sunday, September 8 – Mark 7:24-37 also Isaiah 35: 4-7a, Psalm 146, James 2:1-10 [11-13] 14-17 “Eraser” by David Hayward | Naked Pastor You may have seen one of my favorite cartoons. It’s just a black and white sketch created by David Hayward (who goes by “Naked Pastor”) that shows a bunch of people with
Sunday, September 1, 2024 – Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23, also Song of Solomon 2:8-13, Psalm 15, James 1:17-27 Our first reading today is from a book known as both the Song of Solomon and the Song of Songs. It’s one of five books known as the Wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible. The other four
Sunday, August 25, 2024 – John 6:51-58, also Proverbs 9:1-6, Psalm 34:9-14, Ephesians 5:15-20 In the early to mid-1800s, large groups of people left their Eastern and Midwestern homes to migrate west to California and Oregon looking for opportunity. They’d arrive in Independence, Missouri and form wagon trains of multiple families to travel together. Almost
