Whatever happened to the bird? Have you ever noticed, in the photo that has long served as the church’s unofficial logo, that there’s a bird sitting on the cross? When I snapped the shutter from the window of my son Ryan’s second-floor bedroom, I really didn’t see the bird perched there. The mere sight ofContinue reading “The Last Word”
Author Archives: First Presbyterian Church
Easter Eggs
It happened just a little way off Allamakee Street. My lovely wife, Julie, and I, and our three littles had stepped from the safety of our trusty minivan and set foot onto the grounds of the 158th Allamakee County Fair – in full swing just a couple weeks after we moved to Waukon in 2011.Continue reading “Easter Eggs”
Back to Basics
Someone once posed an intriguing question to the Presbyterian preacher and writer Eugene Peterson: What he would say if he were writing what he knew to be his very last sermon? Mr. Peterson responded – “I think I would want to talk about things that are immediate and ordinary. In the kind of world we liveContinue reading “Back to Basics”
Life on the Edge
Scripture holds so many precious passages, and more than a few of them I regret never having preached. So indulge me while a turn back the church calendar to Holy Saturday with a scene from the Gospel of Matthew. It feels apropos for our moment. Which is always the case when you’re listening for theContinue reading “Life on the Edge”
Be at Peace, Simply Be
For a bunch of professional fishermen – well accustomed to being out on the water, presumably in all kinds of weather, the Lord’s apostles sure spend a lot of time panicking over stormy seas. The only non-anxious presence in these choppy, gale-force Gospel circumstances is always Jesus, the landlubbing carpenter. Thus comes this morning’s ScriptureContinue reading “Be at Peace, Simply Be”
Never Alone, Never Forgotten
Here’s an understatement: Moses did not have an easy job. The Old Testament prophet led God’s people from slavery in Egypt, guiding perhaps two million of them to freedom through the parted waters of the Red Sea, then endured 40 years trying to corral the rebellious and stiff-necked bunch on a meandering trek through theContinue reading “Never Alone, Never Forgotten”
Called to New Places
Get thee gone! That striking command is the first word that the Lord offers in this morning’s Scripture lesson: Go, leave! Hit the road, Jack! How harsh and jarring that must have sounded to its intended audience, the elderly Abram and his equally mature wife, Sarai. Why would they want to go anywhere? Abram andContinue reading “Called to New Places”
Maybe You’re a Late Bloomer
Not often does a true prophet of God end up red-faced in embarrassment. But indeed, the author of our Scripture lesson, the Old Testament’s Jeremiah, is walking around with egg on his face. In the lead-up to this passage, a prophetic wannabe named Hananiah delivers what he declares to be a true revelation from God. HananiahContinue reading “Maybe You’re a Late Bloomer”
A psalm for America at 250
For 21 months of the 1970s, the American Freedom Train was a traveling museum that toured 48 of these United States to celebrate the nation’s bicentennial. I was 14 years old when it rolled through town, and my parents took me down to the train depot to check it out. The train featured 10 railcarsContinue reading “A psalm for America at 250”
A Firm Foundation
Of the many images that capture the poignancy of my ministry in Waukon is this photo taken on the south lawn of Oakland Cemetery. That’s me and my friend Chrissy Good from Martin funeral home leading the procession that carried the body of longtime member Brad Krambeer to its place of earthly rest until theContinue reading “A Firm Foundation”