In worship we heard a variety of stories in scripture. From Elisha healing Naaman simply, by having the “proud general” Naaman bathe in the Jordan 7 times. The power of God works in ways that are not human ways. Paul concluded his letter to the Galatians reminding them that, while each individual is responsible for […]
In our celebration of life and memorial service we shared prayers and hymns of celebration and affirmation of God’s grace. We heard the message of hope and truth in our readings: that God has prepared a place for us and that God’s place is large enough to have everyone beyond imagination present. The hope we […]
In worship we had offerings about Elisha receiving his commission from God through Elijah and the conferring of a double share of Elijah’s wisdom on Elisha. Our gospel stood out as it showed a disturbing part of the mentality of Jesus’ disciples – on the trip through Samaria to Jerusalem (and ultimately his death). We […]
In church today, we were invited into scripture and “suffered” through the singing of Psalms 42 and 43 (all 14 stanzas – long for a psalm). But the theme of the psalm played well with the rest of our readings: that we should long for God’s word in our lives – like we long for […]
In worship we celebrated the Feast of the Trinity. Ironically, this Sunday is the only Sunday that revolves around a doctrine as opposed to a definite scripture. But that doesn’t make the presence of Trinity Sunday any less biblical or less important to our formation as Christians. For it is specifically the Trinity that brings […]
Interestingly, this Sunday seems a little harder than last to gather thoughts in worship. The reading from Acts told about the coming of the Holy Spirit and the baptism of the believers all those years ago. We also heard Paul and the psalmist talk about those who are led by the spirit are children of […]
Worship was tempered with the events from Friday in Virginia Beach, and the emotion of the violence perpetrated found its way into our worship. While it would be easy to rail at gun violence our scripture helps shine a light on the underlying condition which leads to violence and mistrust. Paul, in the Acts of […]
In worship we heard lessons that provided visions of God and God’s greater glory. On the one hand, we had the fantastic and other-worldly vision of the Revelation to John, and on the other we heard of Paul’s vision that led to Lydia’s conversion and ordination as a missionary for the risen Lord. We are […]
Our worship was punctuated by the ideas about God’s invitation to love, not because we want something in return or out of pity, but because that is the “simple” commandment invoked by Jesus at the end of his earthly ministry. The love we have for others is the sign of God’s presence inside us; the […]
In worship today, we celebrated the Good shepherd Sunday. We heard Jesus talk about those who were his sheep would know him and follow him in love and devotion. Even when we look for something direct Jesus and God are working in the background of our lives. We heard about the diversity of the entire […]