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I am reading to you from the Gospel of Matthew. By the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, listen for God’s Good News – But the angel said to the women, [Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, who together had gone] to see the tomb, “Do not be afraid; I know that you areContinue reading “Vision of Angels, Disciples at the Tomb”

I’m reading to you from the Gospel of Matthew. Listen for the Word of the Lord to you this day. After the [first] sabbath [following Jesus’s crucifixion], as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; forContinue reading “An Earthquake, An Empty Tomb”

This morning’s Lenten Good News from the Gospel of Luke fundamentally connects the loving of God and the loving of neighbor: You simply can’t have one without the other. The Word that God has spoken begins with a member of the self-righteous religious elite inviting Jesus over for supper. Customarily, such a host would greetContinue reading “Great Forgiveness, Great Love”

“Coming soon!” The phrase, though timeworn, feels timeless in generating excitement. “See, I am coming soon,” begins this morning’s Scripture lesson. “Let everyone who is thirsty come,” echoes from its ending. Come, Lord Jesus! “Surely I am coming soon. Amen!” That’s a haunting truth to consider – maybe not so much because you doubt thatContinue reading “Coming Soon”

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Mary L. VanderVelden, a child of our congregation now serving as director of children, youth and community at Heartland Presbyterian Church in Clive, IA, shared this message during worship with us on Sunday, July 13, 2025. She reflects on her recent mission immersion in El Salvador, where Heartland has a sister parish. Mary earned bachelor’sContinue reading “Postcards from El Salvador”

“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing.” (Psalm 100:1-2) I last visited Bev the day before she died, and on that Sunday, at Thornton Manor, the noise from a handful of spirited great-grandsons truly was joyful: Giggles and wiggles filling Bev’sContinue reading “Funeral for Beverly Johnson”

When the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo finished his statue of David, his 16th-century admirers all flooded him with the same question: How did you transform an inanimate chunk of rock into such an incredibly lifelike figure? Michelangelo’s supposed response? “I simply kept chipping away at everything that wasn’t David.” Strange as it sounds, you andContinue reading “Suffering Well”

Please breath-in the word of the Lord from the Old Testament prophet Joel: You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the LORD, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame. Then afterward I will pour out my spiritContinue reading “The Spirit Within”

Roast-pork sandwiches, cheesy potatoes, sheet cake. The delicious smells announce with great pomp and circumstance the arrival of graduation season – a springtime period for treasuring precious memories and dreaming high hopes: I’m going to change the world! You hear that a lot this time of year – “I’m going to change the world!” –Continue reading “Graduation Sunday: Changing the World”