The story of Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding Cana is traditionally talked about as Jesus’ first miracle. That word “traditionally” is really the key to that sentence, because of course we don’t really know. It is the first action of Jesus that we usually think of as a miracle in John’s gospel, […]
Tonight, as we step into the season of Lent, I’m encouraging us to try something new this year. There’s some truth that we as people – not just here at First Presbyterian – but we the people have experienced loss. I don’t know it’s the healthy thing this Lent to go into the season with […]
The traditional reading from Matthew for Transfiguration Sunday, the story of Jesus at the mountaintop with Peter, James, and John, starts with the first verse of Chapter 17, but as you might have picked up, I can’t just let a verse that starts “Six days later” go unexplored. My curiosity is piqued. Six days after […]
For the past couple weeks, Scripture has been leading us through light and epiphanies. This season of light has been one focused on helping us see the world we already live in with greater understanding… or at least a little more clarity. Two Sundays ago we stood with Isaiah and Matthew in a moment when […]
Early in my years at seminary, a little over 30 years ago, I read the book Resident Aliens by Stanley Hauerwas and Will Willamon, who were on the faculty of Duke Divinity School. It continues to be one of the more important books I’ve read—and it is not long or complex. The paragraph that has […]
Take a moment and prayerfully consider what is happening in our country and world. Pay attention to your body as you do. What do you feel? What do you carry? Although this may not be true for everyone, taking a moment to really reflect might lead us into a moment of heaviness. Sometimes all of […]
While I’ve always been fascinated by the many different languages that are spoken around the world, I’ve also always been terrified to learn to speak any of them. Case in point – I was one of 6 people in my high school graduating class that took every level of Latin that was offered. I did […]
I can remember a time when I promised myself I wouldn’t be one of those preachers who makes football references every Sunday of the season, so I hope former me will forgive current me today. It’s not really a football reference directly; it’s just about football players. Or even more directly football players who have […]
Sometime in the few years after my kids were too old for such things, a friend of mine, an Episcopal priest, started posting pictures on her social media of her “wandering wisemen.” I have to say, I was jealous I missed out on the chance to pick up this tradition with our family, but with […]
There’s nothing quite like the joy of our children sharing the Christmas story. Whether you couldn’t make it to the sanctuary this year or you simply want to relive the magic one more time, we’ve got you covered. Grab a cup of cocoa and enjoy the full video of this year’s FPCA Faith Formation Christmas […]
The first Sunday after Christmas is always a little… barren. Let’s be honest about that. We were just here a few days ago. We lit candles on Christmas Eve. We sang Silent Night. We heard the angels, the shepherds, the good news of great joy. Some of us are still tired from hosting, traveling, cooking, or simply being around people for an extended period […]
In the book of Matthew, John the Baptist, first comes on the scene after the story of the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. That is Matthew jumps from the angelic annunciation to Joseph that his betrothed would conceive a child by the Holy Spirit, to the arrival of wise men who came sometime after that child […]
