“The next day, the great crowd that had come to the Passover festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord – the King of Israel!’” (John 12:12-13) TodayContinue reading “From the Pastor: Taking Up Your Cross”
Author Archives: First Presbyterian Church
Always Room for One More
Many of the stories in the New Testament’s book of Acts all seem to end the same way. After either witnessing an amazing miracle or hearing a passionate sermon, people’s souls and spirits are so deeply touched that scads and scores of them come to faith in Jesus Christ. And they’re all welcomed into thisContinue reading “Always Room for One More”
On the Turning Away
Last Sunday’s Scripture lesson was grounded in brokenness – in the rips tearing the fabric of intimate relationship between Jesus and the apostle Peter, the three-time denier of his association with Christ. During a humble shore lunch of freshly caught fish and bread, Jesus – recently arisen from Good Friday’s grave – makes the firstContinue reading “On the Turning Away”
From the Pastor: Flexible + Resilient = Blessing
“Mary kept all these things in her heart and pondered about them often.” (Luke 2:19) Words like “interim” and “transitional” best describe how I sense personal life and ministry these days. So I’m glad I last year picked “flexibility” as “my word” to guide moving, living, and being. Overall, I’m eager and excited to experienceContinue reading “From the Pastor: Flexible + Resilient = Blessing”
Yelling at Squirrels
Dramatic scenes set just days on either side of Easter provide the settings for our two Scripture lessons this morning. They unfold a couple chapters apart in John’s Gospel, yet the passages are tied intimately. The Lord Jesus and the apostle Simon Peter take lead roles in both episodes, and with good reason the relationshipContinue reading “Yelling at Squirrels”
Crunch, Crunch
Strained, toxic, lethal. Fragile, hostile, disrespectful. Fleeting, controlling, intimidating. Violent, dependent, dishonest. Rude, crude, and unacceptable. Such are the gloomy descriptors of many current-day relationships between spouses and family members, boyfriends and girlfriends, roommates and significant others, acquaintances and next-door neighbors, co-workers and classmates, politicians and citizens. But in the Kingdom of God, where unconditionalContinue reading “Crunch, Crunch”
For God So Loved Nineveh
I know there’s at least one of you who’s been reading ahead in the story of Jonah. And that’s OK. It’s a good thing, really. Eager hunger for Scripture is a really, really good thing. And the story of seafaring Jonah is a voracious page-turner, as we’ve discovered in the nourishment of the Old TestamentContinue reading “For God So Loved Nineveh”
When Minds Change
The more things change, the more things stay the same. The old adage offers a spot-on summary of the story of Jonah, whose cowardly, seaside shenanigans have been spotlighted in our Scripture lessons of the past two Sundays. We’re halfway through the whale-themed tale of the Old Testament’s reluctant prophet, but we’re right back whereContinue reading “When Minds Change”
In the Weeds
In the weeds – when you’re burdened with so many problems, or so much work, that you find it exhausting and draining to deal with life and living. “We’re down in the weeds here in customer service! Got too many missing orders!” “The nurses were so deep in the weeds, with too many patients, thatContinue reading “In the Weeds”
The Hound of Heaven
A young woman once complained, “I get so angry with my husband’s friends!” Why? Because her husband – like her, a newcomer to Christianity – often had non-Christian friends over to watch a ballgame. And during the festivities, a couple of the visiting bros always liked to grab the couple’s Bible from the coffee table,Continue reading “The Hound of Heaven”