Ninth Sunday after Pentecost 2 August 2020 (Isaiah 55:1-5 Psalm 145 Romans 9:1-5 Matthew 14:13-21) “The Voice Crying Out from the Wound!” There is a story of a little girl, probably six or seven years old, when she became an orphan of war. This story comes out of the war-torn years of Guatemala. Both her … More “The Voice Crying Out from the Wound!”
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52, Romans 8:26-39 The Kingdom of Heaven is like… The Kingdom of Heaven is like… If we were gathered in person for worship, and I were to ask each of you to finish this statement, the Kingdom of Heaven is like… my guess is, while there would likely be some similarities in your … More The Kingdom of Heaven is Like…
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost 26 July 2020 [Gettysburg National Military Park Amphitheater Community Service] (Romans 8:26-39) “Separation Anxiety Not Necessary!” There is an African Proverb coming out of Nigeria that goes like this: “No matter how dark, the hand always knows the way to the mouth.” Even when we cannot see, we know how … More “Separation Anxiety Not Needed!”
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost 19 July 2020 ((Isaiah 44:6-8 Psalm 86 Romans 8:12-25 Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43) “Getting Out of the Weeds!” These days I’m spending way too much time in the weeds! These last 14 days in quarantine I have spent looking for weeds—and they have been counting down the days until my quarantine … More “Getting Out of the Weeds!”
Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 With the 4th of July last weekend and all that is happening around our nation, I’ve spent a lot of time this past week thinking about the idea of freedom. What is freedom? What does freedom mean? What does it mean for us to be free? To have freedom? What … More What is Freedom?
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost 5 July 2020 (Zechariah 9:9-12 Psalm 145: 8-14 Romans 7:15-25 Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30) “Prisoners of Hope!” Good morning to all who are watching our worship service this morning. I’m Pastor Mike and this morning I am delivering the message in a way different from “normal.” But who knows what is normal … More “Prisoners of Hope!”
Matthew 10:40-42 The month of June in the United States is Pride month. For those historians tuning into our service, the month of June was selected as Pride month, at least in part, to commemorate what has been deemed as the Stonewall Riots, when early in the morning on June 28th, 1969, patrons of the … More The Heart of Hospitality
Matthew 10: 34-39, Romans 6: 1b-11 At this time five years ago, I was in the midst of wrapping up the final stages of my call process with St. James. While it’s hard to believe it’s been that long, a lot has happened since then; in our church family, in our personal lives, in our … More Baptismal Calling
Second Sunday after Pentecost 14 June 2020 (Exodus 19:2-8 Psalm 100 Romans 5:1-8 Matthew 9:35-10:8) “The Language of the Unheard!” At every University of Pittsburgh football game at some point during one of those television commercial time outs, four persons in over-sized football costumes come onto the field to challenge each other to a 100-yard … More “The Language of the Unheard!”
It’s been a hell of a week, hasn’t it? As I looked through my news feed early Tuesday morning over my first cup of coffee for the day, feeling saddened and angry, and honestly a bit overwhelmed with all that I was reading, I looked over at Christina in the chair next to me, and … More Faith or Politics?
