Pastor
Here we are at a day full of . . . irony. I guess that is why we refer to this day in the church’s lectionary as Palm / (slash) Passion Sunday. The truth that gathers us and meets us this day is ironic, or in psychological terms, is kind of ‘bi-polar’ – moving from […]
Some people, in order to get closer to God, go on retreats. They take time off from their daily work and get away from the daily routine in order to get with God. . . . One pastor I read about has a small cabin in the mountains of North Carolina. He goes up there […]
You may well be familiar with the account we shared from John’s Gospel. The Pharisee, Nicodemus, comes to Jesus at night. Nicodemus is not just anybody; he is a prominent person in the synagogue and in the community in Jerusalem. He’s an inquiring, intelligent sort of person. Maybe that is why he comes to Jesus […]
Bible References: Psalm 19 and John 2:13-22 What is the primary reason for our gathering here this morning? I feel sure that there are some here who are hoping to find out more about the Christian faith. Perhaps you are a ‘seeker’ – a searcher after God and you may have come here to continue your […]
No matter what we do there will always be a gap between us and God. While God approaches us in Jesus Christ there is an intended distance. It serves as a reminder that we cannot own God, but rather that God owns us and places expectations upon us. In the end however, Jesus bridges that […]
Jesus’ first word as an adult in the Gospel of Luke was “No.” He began his ministry by renouncing temptation. That word “no’ is so short and simple, and yet when used can make Satan slink slowly away. It’s a good word to have handy, especially during Lent.
Pastor Dan’s Ash Wednesday sermon.
We have been schooled to approach everything with reason and proof in order to determine the truth. But can we approach the things of God that way? The transfiguration of Jesus makes no rational sense, but is rather a revelation from God. Are we open enough to allow for such revelations in our lives?
We North Americans put a great deal of value on choosing the course of our lives. ‘I choose, therefore I am.’ But faith in Jesus Christ means that we are often under obligation to act and respond to God’s call that we do not choose. We have ‘sealed orders’ – orders to which we have […]
Jesus is God with us, particularly God with us in our pain and misery. Rather than avoid pain, bypass the evils of this world, or flee from the demonic, Jesus enters into that suffering, rebukes the evil and thereby reveals to us the loving, compassionate God who stands with us in our need.
The story of Jonah is a funny, comical story, but the point is pretty clear: When God calls, we had better listen and respond. Of course, there is comfort in knowing that if it is God’s call, we have become a part of God’s plan, and God through Christ will walk beside us, so we […]
God calls the most unlikely people for the work of ministry: the little boy Samuel, the scoffer, Nathanael, the crusty old preacher Carl Parker. But then God also calls us, unlikely servants and saints that we are. Are we always ready to answer, “Here I am, Lord”