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Doubting Thomas

Have you ever sat by a fire just gazing into it’s flames? There’s something about a good fire, or even the flame dancing on the top of a candle, that can transfix us, mesmerize us. In it’s unpredictability, its infinite mystery, we find ourselves consumed, even if just for a moment, in watching the fire burn. The sixteenth century explorer Hernan Cortes wanted his men transfixed, mesmerized,…

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Betrayed

Mary Magdalene was something of a celebrity among Christians in the first years after the resurrection. As the first person to have encountered the risen Christ, everyone wanted to hear from her and learn her story. That included, according to legend, the emperor Tiberius. That story tells of how she used her celebrity to gain an audience with the Emperor; the same emperor when Jesus was…

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How to Handle Change

Merry Easter! I hope that, as the day approaches, you have a holly, jolly Easter. I imagine you have Easter presents in mind already and, if not, good luck finishing your Easter shopping before the big day! How many Easter parties have you already attended? How many do you have left to attend? Have you already grown weary from all the social obligations that come from the Easter season? I bet…

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The Reckless, Pursuing, Love of god

The day was crisp and gray. I love fall days like that, where the sky lets through just a bit of sunshine and the wind chills the air. There’s something powerfully mysterious about those days; and in that mystery, I feel drawn closer to God. On that particular crisp and gray day, I hiked across a path. There are two ways to the Berry College reservoir. I took the harder, foot path, way, which…

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Shoes & Servanthood

“They’ll judge you first by your shoes.” That’s from a character, played by Jeff Daniels, in episode one of the Hulu series, “The Looming Tower.” The show was just okay in my mind and I didn’t watch more than a few episodes. And what I watched was now a few years ago, but that quote has suck with me. Prior to that comment, I had not given much thought to the role shoes play socially. Consider…

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Coins & Extravagant Love

When I was a kid, we occasionally drove to New York to visit my relatives there. I remember being a boy, maybe seven or nine years old, sitting at my grandparents table. It was the kind covered in that really thick plastic, draped over a vinyl table cloth, where it felt like my skin stuck to the table if I put my forearm on it. So there I was sitting, somewhat bored, when my grandfather walked…

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When Drama is Thrust Upon Us

Have you ever saved up your money to make a big trip? I imagine we all have at some point. My brother and I did that for several years, leading up to our trip to Scotland last year. We had a blast, saw so many really amazing things, touched history in powerful ways, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Traveling can do that. We see beyond ourselves to witness something different, hopefully…

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Searching for Something Real

As usual on the first Sunday of the month, just like it is here, a church not so far away celebrated communion. The pastor stood behind the table and said the words he spoke generally every month. As he lifted the cup, he said, “This is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.” In the congregation, a second grader was listening carefully. The…

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Living a Life that Matters | Ash Wednesday Sermon

I used to like to work on our cars as much as possible on my own. There’s something good about working with my hands. And mechanical problems are problems that have solutions, unlike many of the problems I encounter day to day in this job. So one day, I went to change the oil in Dana’s old minivan. I could not, for the life of me, get the housing off to replace the oil filter. I tugged and…

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What Are You Waiting for? | Final Sermon on Patience

Carter’s favorite candy is a Kit Kat. That’s important knowledge because the other day, on Valentine’s Day, his kindergarten teacher gave him a Reese’s peanut butter cup. Carter despises peanut butter and doesn’t like Reese’s. And if you know Carter, he’s not afraid to stand up for himself and what he wants. So he came into my room one evening to let me know that he was quite proud of himself.…

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Listening For God | Part 4, Patience Sermon Series

Listening is powerful. I was unaware of that for much of my life. I wanted to talk, I wanted to tell people what was what. I approached counseling that way. At JMU where I received a master’s degree in counseling, I went into mock counseling sessions telling people what they felt instead of listening to what they felt. It’s funny now, especially to say it out loud. I was being ridiculous. But…

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The Resilient People of God| Patience Sermon Series

I’m listening to an audio book about George Washington as I run, prepping for that half marathon. This particular biography opens with several lists, such as animals Washington owned, titles he had, offices he held. Among the lists are diseases Washington contracted. I could not believe my ears as I listened. He was sick most years of his life with one or more grave illnesses like dysentery,…

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Blessed are Those Who Endure | Patience Series, Part 2

Some of you may know the infamous pickle story. During agriculture day for Leadership Dodge, I stood in Brian Watkins’ field of cucumbers, listening to him talk about farming. But I was very confused. He kept talking about pickles, but I was definitely standing in a field of cucumbers. He picked up a cucumber from the field and held it, but he was still talking about pickles. I became even more…

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How Should We Wait? | Patience Sermon Series

How should we wait? Back in fourth grade, I could not wait for some new legos to come in the mail. I had saved my allowance and birthday money to purchase some specific legos. They were what I needed for whatever lego project I had going on at the time. I was huge into legos when I was a boy and played with them all the time. I recalled this memory not long ago when I found a notebook from…

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Follow The Magi's Example

Follow The Magi’s Example

Please note: this is the sermon that would have been given had the sound board been working at church. The devotional posted on our Facebook page is different. We hope you enjoy both! O holy night! The stars are brightly shining. It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, till he appeared and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope, the weary world…

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An Extraordinary Gift for Us Ordinary People

An extraordinary thing happening to ordinary people. If Mike Rowe’s show “Dirty Jobs” had existed on Galilean TV back in Mary and Joseph’s day, shepherds would have certainly been featured. Like the folks who go into sewers, work landfills, and make cheese, shepherds were considered dirty. So they kept to themselves, on the outsides of cities, living their lives taking care of sheep, especially…

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No Matter the Darkness, The Light Shines

12/5/21 | John 1:1-5 Manuscript Yet, in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light. Phillips Brooks sat on horseback atop a hillside. This episcopal priest from New England had come to visit the Holy Land. As Christmas Eve approached, he journeyed out of Jerusalem toward Bethlehem, asking along the way where shepherds were keeping their flock by night. Locals pointed him toward a…

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