All of us have had the experience of being annoyed by other people. But, have you ever had days when it seems like no matter which way you turn, everyone is annoying? Jesus was having one of those days. In the verses leading up to today’s reading he was in a tussle with the Pharisees. No one was more annoying to Jesus than people who paid too much attention to rules, and the Pharisees were all about following the letter of the Law. He called them hypocrites, and in today’s reading he calls … [Read more...]
Get Out of the Boat
The Blue Angels are back in town this weekend. Even after all these years it still seems odd to me that they’re part of the U.S. Navy. When I think Navy I don’t think aircraft; I think “ship”! The word “Navy” itself means “ship.” We use the word to describe our worship space. This is called the “nave”—it, too, means “ship.” Strange, isn’t it? And yet, boats are an important part of our Christian story. A boat is at the center of today’s story. What was Peter thinking? He was a fisherman. … [Read more...]
God is Here
After the rains of this past week the plants in our yard are happy. All kinds of new life is popping out of the soil. But, as Jesus teaches in his parable, it’s not always easy to know which are good plants and which are weeds. Let them grow together, he says, and at harvest time you can take out the weeds. Last week’s gospel reading also was about seeds in the field. Through the story of the sower and the seed we find that the world is not always as simple as good soil and bad soil, good … [Read more...]
The Good Sower
Summer finally seems to have settled in, as it usually does around here: late—sometime after July 4th. But for months many of us with yards and gardens have been sowing seeds and weeding and fertilizing. One thing is certain about our yard at home down the street. There are many types of soil. There’s some soil that has lots of rocks in it. Some is clay; even hardpan—so hard that it’s like concrete, especially when it’s dry. Other soil seems to produce only weeds. But there’s good soil, too, … [Read more...]
A Father’s Love
I’m drawn to the creation story in Genesis this morning because it leaves no doubt where our focus needs to be. God the Creator traditionally has been called “Father.” And today is “Father’s Day”! By definition a father is someone who creates a child. In the Genesis story God the Father created the world. But we find through experience in this world that it’s not quite as simple as that. A father is more than simply a person who is biologically connected with a child. In fact, to be a … [Read more...]
Activated
When it comes to buying gifts what could be more convenient than a gift card! Have you ever bought a gift card for someone? Could be for groceries, or a restaurant, or department store. But it can’t be used until you go through the check-out line and have it activated. Or, maybe you’ve opened an account at a bank or with a credit card company. You open the account, and soon the ATM card or credit card arrives in the mail with a message like this one that says something like, “To activate this … [Read more...]
Letters from the Big Man
One of the things Minjing and I look forward to this time of year is the Seattle International Film Festival. On days like this it’s a problem because we don’t want to be inside a dark theater! This past week I saw a film called Letters from the Big Man. The “Big Man” in this story refers to a Sasquatch, or, Bigfoot. The film is about a young U.S. forest service worker who is on the rebound from a painful break-up. She gets an assignment to go on a week-long journey into the remote forests of … [Read more...]
Shopping Malls and Sports Stadiums
Acts 17:22-31; Psalm 66:8-20; 1 Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21 This past week Minjing and I went to Southcenter Mall. This is one of those things I try to do as little as possible. I can think of many things I’d rather do than shop, especially on a nice day. But Friday is our day off; shopping had to be done so we went. On top of being cut off from the outdoors, the thing I like least about malls is the noise. I don’t mean the sound of human conversation. I mean the loud music. From a recent … [Read more...]
A Tale of Two Stephens
Acts 7:55-60; Psalm 31:1-5,15-16; 1 Peter 2:2-10; John 14:1-14 Well, we’re still here. The end of the world didn’t happen yesterday as some predicted. But even while some people were making headlines about the end of the world, there was another big controversy in the news concerning someone who has taught us much about the beginning of the world. If you’re someone who enjoys learning about the history of our universe you probably know the name Stephen Hawking. Stephen Hawking is one of … [Read more...]
Who Will You Follow?
Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 23; 1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10 I don’t know if you’ve heard this news item but...next Saturday is the end of the world! It’s true. A man named Harold Camping, a Christian radio broadcaster, for some time has predicted that on May 21st, 2011, two hundred million people—three per cent of the world’s population—will be snatched up from the earth and taken up into heaven. I have to say that I’m not happy about this. May 21st is my birthday! Why does the end of the … [Read more...]
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