I’d like everyone to take one arm and stretch it out in front of you. Now take the other arm and stretch it out in front of you; take one hand and touch the other. Anyone not able to do that? 14Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God [is at hand]; repent, and believe in the good news." The kingdom is at hand. The translation you have in front of you says, “The kingdom has come near,” … [Read more...]
Down the Mountain
(Part I) Most of you know that back in the summer of 2010 I climbed to the summit of Mt. Rainier. Last year, as you also know, I reached the summit of Mt. Baker. In fact, of Washington State’s five volcanoes, I’ve been to the summit of four. On all these occasions the sky was blue, the weather was perfect, the views were spectacular. There’s a reason people use the phrase “mountain-top experience” to describe an emotional high. But mountain climbers know there’s more to the story than that. … [Read more...]
A Question of Authority
Last Wednesday I was invited as a guest to a Christian men’s book and Bible study in Auburn. Nine of us gathered to share a potluck meal, a check-in time, and the study itself. I was the only pastor in the group and was younger than almost everyone because this is a retired men’s Bible study. But as remarkable as all this is, what’s really impressive is that this group of men from different denominations has been meeting in the same home every week for fifteen years. Each of us chooses who or … [Read more...]
I Have A Dream
(Recording excerpt from Martin Luther King, Jr’s, “I Have A Dream” speech) It’s always humbling to follow the best, which means it’s really hard for an ordinary preacher to follow Martin Luther King, Jr., from the pulpit. Many of you recognize the speech. What you just heard was an excerpt from the Rev. Dr. King’s 1963 I Have A Dream speech. Martin Luther King had a Godly dream: following the teachings of Jesus Christ, a dream of equality, justice, and love. Tomorrow our nation honors the … [Read more...]
Joy!
This past week I was reading a book by Jerome Berryman, a man who lost his wife to cancer two years ago. In the book’s introduction the author writes of their great love for one another and the great happiness they experienced in their relationship together. Berryman makes a statement in this book that has stayed with me all week. He asks: Do you know what you get when you mix lots of happiness with lots of sadness? You get joy! I’ve been thinking a lot about that. Here’s a man who has lost … [Read more...]
First Things First!
Last night some of us celebrated...while many of us slept! But whether or not we were awake, at the stroke of midnight we entered a new year. Today is the first day of the first week in the first month of a new year. And, although last Sunday was Christmas day the church calendar tells us that today is the first Sunday in the Christmas season. And, of course, this is the first Sunday of the New Year. It’s a good day to speak of first things! This day on the church calendar is called the Name … [Read more...]
Eat, Drink, and be…Mary!
Tonight we gather to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Christmas proclaims to the world that God is not far off. God who created each of us became one of us, and continues to be among us. A time of celebration is a time of feasting. Our feasting proclaims that spiritual things are not all invisible. Food and drink, flesh and blood— as the book of Genesis reminds us, “God created it all; and it was good.” Across our land and across our globe people come together on this day, eating and drinking. … [Read more...]
Benjamin’s Story
(This message continues an Advent series of stories that re-tell stories of our faith in the belief that God invites us to use our imaginations to hear and see in new ways God’s transforming power among us.) Stories engage our senses and captivate our thoughts. Come and listen to a story about a time when people were waiting for something and expecting someone who would change everything. My name is Benjamin. I have no claim to fame. But the story I tell is about people I knew who became … [Read more...]
Ordinary People
Stories engage our senses and captivate our thoughts. Come and listen to a story about a time when people were waiting for something and expecting someone who would change everything. Long ago there lived a man named John. John was a common name in that day so over the centuries following his death some confusion was inevitable. The fact that he would be associated with Jesus of Nazareth complicated things because this John would be confused with other men named John who knew Jesus, and … [Read more...]
The Battle of Thanksgiving: High, Holy Days Go Head-to-Head
By Anthony B. Robinson Given the other conflicts raging here and there you may have missed this one, the Battle of Thanksgiving. The Battle of Thanksgiving? Really? Isn’t the Thanksgiving holiday, which we celebrate this week, a time of sharing and savoring, drawing together in gratitude and grace? Isn’t it a time for remembering and telling stories, welcoming to our homes those who are far from homes of their own, and giving thanks for the sheer gift and wonder of life, despite its … [Read more...]
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