For Maundy Thursday, Pastor Carter continued our Lenten sermon series “Wandering Heart” with a special meditation entitled “Streams of Mercy”.
There are two things to quickly note about this passage in Matthew 18. First, Peter is still there. Last week, if you were here, we heard Peter rebuke Jesus in Matthew 16. Far from getting kicked out for insubordination, Peter remains in Jesus’ inner circle. Jesus is a patient and persistent teacher, prepared for his […]
A minister colleague in another church was leading a faith formation gathering with young children when one boy in the group produced a bag of crackers and proceeded munching. When the minister realized that the boy had no intention of sharing his crackers with any of the other children, she said something to him. At […]
Do you ever wonder about miracles – whether they still happen today? Maybe Jesus was walking on a hidden sandbar, and not on water, some have suggested. Do you wonder why there are not more miracles, or how God decides when to let a miracle happen and when not? When it comes to miracles, I have found […]
This Lent we will be doing a series called “Wandering Hearts,” taken from the lyrics of the traditional gospel song, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” In this series, we will explore discipleship with Simon, whom Jesus later renamed Peter. Sales people know the feeling. The feeling that comes from making call after call on […]
I have a colleague, an Episcopalian minister, who had a chaplain internship at a Connecticut mental health institution when he was in seminary at Yale Divinity School. Part of Campbell’s responsibilities included leading a Sunday chapel service each week along with a volunteer who played the piano for hymns. The small group of residents who […]
Today, we are hearing the story of Jonah in two parts, the first two chapters that Taylor just shared with the children – I hope you were listening closely. And in a moment, I will read what comes next. But before I do that, I want to say a word about the book of Jonah […]
A new student looks out on a sea of strange faces in the high school cafeteria, wondering where she should sit, which group she should join, how she will be accepted. An older man groans in his sick bed. Retirement from his successful law practice had been difficult enough. But now, he is felled by […]
Someone passed on a quote to me this week about being an adult: “Being an adult is pretty easy. You just feel tired all the time, and tell people about how tired you are, and they tell you how tired they are.” Do you ever feel that way? The poet William Wordsworth once wrote, “the […]
When you read Paul’s letter to the Philippians it feels like he is writing to “his pride and joy, his favorite child.” There are none of the angry or cautionary admonitions that you find in Galatians or the l and 2 Corinthians. Instead, he writes with great affection for the Philippians and expresses gratitude for […]
I have a confession to make. I have been preaching now for 34 years. And, in all that time, I have never preached on this parable in Matthew. Not because it doesn’t come up in the lectionary that I have often followed – because it does. No, I haven’t preached on it because this parable […]
There is a question in the PCUSA study catechism which Kerry and I often used with our Confirmation classes. It was a question that often made those confirmands chuckle. I confess it has made me chuckle, too, to think that those writing the questions thought to include it. “Won’t heaven be a boring place?” Maybe […]
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