Sally and Ryan’s mother faced a situation that all parents often face. There were two brownies left for her two young children – and one was bigger than the other. It did not take long for the two children to argue about who would get the bigger piece. This time, the mother tried a new […]
It is one of the most difficult choices I face in daily life. It is a choice that each one of you undoubtedly has also faced this week. You, of course, know what I am talking about: The decision about which checkout line will be fastest. In these days of gargantuan grocery stores, building supply […]
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” I am guessing that in Paul’s list of some of the fruits of the Spirit, “self-control” is not the one that would get you particularly excited and racing to church to hear preached. I also imagine that few of […]
“The children were having breakfast. This was not a pleasant sight.” So begins Jill Murphy’s children’s book, Five Minutes’ Peace, a children’s book that parents will often offer to read to their children. Because although the characters in the book are elephants, a mother and three children aged about seven and below, the story describes […]
What can I tell you about courage? I missed the Viet Nam draft by a few years and was never called to go into a battlefield and face enemy fire like some of you have. Or on the flip side, I did not have to wrestle with declaring myself a conscientious objector, going before a […]
Today we gather to celebrate a new beginning—a homecoming. Rally Day! Our Fall Kickoff! Today is the start of a new season; the start of school and faith formation; the start of another year to live out God’s love! Today we embark on another journey together. Today we pause, remember, and give thanks to why […]
Two weeks ago, I spent a week of study leave at the Chautauqua Institute, an amazing summer vacation learning community that was started 150 years ago by a Methodist minister and a businessman to provide training for Sunday School teachers and other lay leaders. Still going strong, the community includes denominational houses like the Presbyterian […]
Last week, in a very helpful sermon, Taylor preached on three texts and reminded us all about what it means to follow the path of Jesus Christ, a path which is often so different from other paths in our world, especially in this election season. If you think of Taylor’s sermon in terms of Google […]
Almighty God, as we hear your gracious Word, make us hungry for Jesus, your holy manna, that we may feed on him, the bread of life. Amen. It is nearly impossible to ignore the volatile political landscape our nation finds itself in. I’m sure you know this; try as we might but it is nearly […]
When you step back and think about it, can you believe what we have just done? We have jut read words written probably about 2500 years go about a people who were traveling through the wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula over 3000 years ago. And now, we are going to say how what happened to […]
This morning, we’re going to do a little time traveling. The year was 1999. It was a hot summer day, much like this one, in a one-bedroom apartment in North Brunswick, NJ. To give you context, in the place where I grew up, we used to say that if you needed something fixed, the landlord […]
Good morning, everyone. Before we dive in, let’s take a moment to center ourselves. Take a deep breath and remember we are here together, united in Christ’s love. This summer Carter and I along with a few guest preachers decided not to preach a series but rather we are listening to the Spirit at work […]