[RCL] Acts 8:26-40; Psalm 22:24-30; 1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8 The psalm selection for today, a portion of Psalm 22, can catch us by surprise. Psalm 22 is famously associated with Holy Week. Jesus, suspended from the cross, close to death, quotes its opening words: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And…

RCL: Acts 8:26-40; Psalm 22:24-30; 1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8 Let us pray: God of mercy and grace, walk with us. As we celebrate the resurrection of your Son, Jesus, heal our hearts, guide our minds, and lead us to a place of restoration. May we seek spiritual renewal, may our hearts and minds serve…

Unfortunately, some of us feel that if we don’t check our smartphones every few minutes, we will miss out on something crucial, maybe the event of the year or the e-mail that will change the course of our lives. And it is even more embarrassing when we don’t seem to be aware that we are…

The word on the street is that love is easy. We just do it. We talk about chemistry, and indeed, the scientists tell us that chemistry has something to do with physical attraction. However, we know that love goes further than physical attraction. We love our parents and our children. We love our friends. There’s…

Philip the Deacon was one of the seven appointed deacons Luke mentions in the sixth chapter of Acts, and he is perhaps more properly thought of as Philip the Evangelist. His preaching mission in Samaria not only brought the followers of Simon Magus to be baptized as followers of Jesus, but also converted the magician…

Unfortunately, some of us feel that if we don’t check our smartphones every few minutes, we will miss out on something crucial, maybe the event of the year or the e-mail that will change the course of our lives. And it is even more embarrassing when we don’t seem to be aware that we are…

Theologians through the ages have written about Christians’ penchant for a “milquetoast Jesus,” who is, in today’s parlance, something of a wimp. Dorothy Sayers, better known for her Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries than her essays, wrote in exasperation in her book The Greatest Drama Ever Staged: “We have very efficiently pared the claws of the…

Consider a nurseryman. He propagates and raises ground covers. His hands work steadily, day in and day out, creating and co-creating new life for the world. He sits at a bench to do his work. In the still, humid heat of the summer he puts his bench out of doors in a particular spot where,…

Americans love stories. Sometimes we pass along some really important truths wrapped up in a story. Here’s a story–and one with a significant point for us all. My father was a one of those small town story tellers–not beyond stretching the truth a bit to make the tale richer. Let me relate one of his…