Daily Office Readings – Gospel ( Matthew 7:1-12 ) The other day, I ran across a Twitter stream ripping on everyone and anyone who had caused the Tweeter even a most minor offense. On and on the rant went, with name calling, spreading of lies and misinformation, and just plain meanness. So much hate and…
Daily Office Readings – Gospel ( Matthew 6:25-34 ) Thirty six and a half million people unemployed as of today, May 14, 2020. And three million of that number were added just this past week. People are stressed out, looking at the shrinking savings (if they had any) and wondering how quickly they may be…
Daily Office Readings – Gospel ( Mark 6:1-6,16-18 ) The other day, on my Facebook feed, I ran across a video that had a title somewhere along the lines of “Man pays rent for needy family. See what happens next.” The story was an uplifting moment where people who were not expecting anything got something…
Daily Office Readings – Gospel ( Matthew 5:27-37 ) As soon as I started reading this Gospel this morning, my mind went back too several youth leaders and pastors I’ve known, and I started hearing the voices of these leaders telling the old familiar comments (some jokes) that come with this passage. The comments always…
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Exodus 20:7 – KJV The other day I was reading again in Paul Tillich’s collection of sermons entitled “The Eternal Now” and ran across a sermon titled, “The Divine Name.” Tillich used…
Daily Office Readings – New Testament ( 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 ) Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and…
This COVID-19 pandemic has really changed a lot about our daily lives. Many of us have lost jobs, others of us are working from home, and most of us are either willingly staying at home, or begrudgingly complying with statewide “stay at home” orders. But of all the changes that we have encountered in the…
Lectionary Readings – (Second Sunday in Lent) [This sermon used a lot of props, so I’ve included photos of the props, and I’ve left in my “stage notes” to show when and where I used them.] When I read the scripture for today, and realized that the passage was John 3:16, I began to think…
Daily Office Readings – NT ( 1 Corinthians 3:16-23 ) Growing up, one of the phrases I heard quite a few times from either youth pastors, or pastors who wanted to relate to the youth was the phrase in the title of this post. Of course, the phrase could just as easily reference “boys who…
Daily Office Readings – NT ( 1 Corinthians 2:1-13 ) & Gospel ( Mark 1:29-45 ) Several years ago, I lived in a part of California that was home to several of the bigger Evangelical churches, though I myself belonged to a liturgical congregation. Because of this, I often wore a crucifix when I was…