During the forty days of Lent we ponder in a more intentional way our stories of salvation. "Being saved," we remember, is not merely some religious or other-worldly drama. Following Jesus means celebrating God's power where it shows up unexpectedly in the ordinary and everyday. Here's a sweet story of salvation from today's paper. … [Read more...]
Hen and Chicks
2 Lent C—2/21/16 Genesis 15:1-12,17-18; Psalm 27; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 13:31-35 Pr. Scott Kramer You may recall that Sunday readings for the season of Lent began last week with the story of Jesus’ temptations. We were reminded that the temptations Jesus experienced during his life were much like those that we face: very ordinary, very every-day. One of the greatest of these ordinary temptations is the desire to create a God in our own image. You may remember from the Book of Genesis that … [Read more...]
Word(s) to Live By
2 Christmas C—1/3/15 Jeremiah 31:7-14; Psalm 147:12-20; Ephesians 1:3-14; John 1:1-18 Pr. Scott Kramer Week after week we hear these words: Word of God. Word of Life. And the people respond: Praise to you, O Christ. This morning when you hear “Word of God, Word of Life…” your response is: Thanks be to God! As we conclude the Christmas season, what is the word of God for us? What is the word of life that will feed and sustain us as we move forward into this New Year? Each of the readings for … [Read more...]
Higher and Lower
4 Advent C—12/20/15 Micah 5:2-5a; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-55 Pr. Scott Kramer Something earthshaking happened in Paris, France, recently. Do you remember? Did you notice? Maybe it’s the terrorist attacks a little over a month ago that come to mind, but that’s not what I’m talking about. Soon after that tragedy, from November 30th to December 12th, the nations of the world came together in Paris for the 2015 Climate Change Conference. By the end of the conference, each nation had agreed to … [Read more...]
Which Star?
2 Advent C—12/6/15 Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 1:68-79; Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6 Pr. Scott Kramer (Star Wars theme music) A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John…son of … [Read more...]
Simple, Not Easy
Christ the King—11/22/15 Daniel 7:9-10,13-14; Psalm 93; Revelation 1:4b-8; John 18:33-37 Pr. Scott Kramer I share with you this morning a quote: …Individuals, the different classes of society, the nations of the earth have not as yet found true peace... the old rivalries between nations have not ceased to exert their influence... the nations of today live in a state of armed peace which is scarcely better than war itself, a condition which tends to exhaust national finances, to waste the … [Read more...]
Go to Zarephath
24 Pentecost B—11/8/15 1 Kings 17:8-16; Psalm 146; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44 Pr. Scott Kramer How many times in your life have you been fired from your job? Football coach Jim White had been fired three times. He'd burned his bridges. The only job he could get was in the small town of McFarland, at a public school for the children of Latino farm workers in California’s Central Valley. The year was 1987. McFarland’s football team was hopeless. But the new coach realized that … [Read more...]
WANTED: Dead or Alive!
All Saints Sunday—11/1/15 Isaiah 25:6-9; Psalm 24; Revelation 21:1-6a; John 11:32-44 Pr. Scott Kramer In the week before Halloween we’ve come to expect TV programs related to Halloween: stories about mummies, zombies, and ghosts. Some of these are not just entertainment but history: the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts, the Halloween Eve War of the Worlds radio program in 1938. One of these history programs this past week was Secrets of the Dead: Vampire Legend. Turns out that … [Read more...]
Whatever You Want…
21 Pentecost B—10/18/15 Isaiah 53:4-12; Psalm 91:9-16; Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 10:35-45 Pr. Scott Kramer Imagine being a teacher in a classroom, when two of the students stand up and say, Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you. What were James and John thinking!? On the other hand, maybe they knew Jesus better than we do! In John’s gospel, chapter 14, for example, Jesus says: I will do whatever you ask in my name... If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do … [Read more...]
Grown-up Conversations
20 Pentecost B—10/11/15 Amos 5:6-7,10-15; Psalm 90:12-17; Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31 Pr. Scott Kramer I have learned from parents of young children that one of the things they miss most is a “grown-up” conversation. I was talking this past week with one of my pastor colleagues in the area whose children are now teenagers, and I asked how they were doing. “Oh,” she said, “it is so nice to be able to have adult conversations with them!” The past two weeks we have heard Jesus praise … [Read more...]
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