The words to this Charles Wesley Advent hymn express the difference between hope and optimism. “Come, Thou long expected JesusBorn to set Thy people free;From our fears and sins release us,Let us find our rest in Thee.Israel’s strength and consolation,Hope of all the earth Thou art;Dear desire of every nation,Joy of every longing heart. Born Thy people to deliver,Born a …
Isaiah 40:1 NRSV Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Chaos rides into town on a dark horse and changes everything.Lord, we shout out against the unwanted tempest.Into the darkness of night, against the unholy wind,we cry out against the very forces of nature itself. The whirlwind brings unimaginable pain, loss, and suffering.Our world’s very identity as a “heavenly …
Luke 1:26 NRSV 26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth… If you ask someone to share with you their best Christmas memory, odds are good they will share with you a childhood memory of Christmas. Why is that? I pondered that question within my own soul this week. It’s …
Luke 1: 1-4 NRSV 1Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, 2just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, 3I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account …
Merry Christmas (2021) from “Burgess South!” O Come, All Ye Faithful… I feel as though this coming year is the year we finally see the light at the end of the covid tunnel. It has been so hard for so many. My family is grateful for the vaccines and for a “place of grace” to serve my calling as a …
Colossians 3:17 NRSV 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. If you’ve been around church very long, you know that the church calendar begins the church new year as we encounter the season of Advent. It’s the season of preparation. Advent begins …
Someone once asked me, “Should Christians pray in public?” It was a reasonable question. After all, Jesus said that prayer should be a private and personal experience with God. But as always, context matters. Here’s the quote: “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners …
I’ve been singing Amazing Grace a lot lately in my personal worship time (this may explain a lot if you see me in my car in the morning on the way to work). We sang it at a funeral a few weeks ago and I can’t get it out of my head. I’m not complaining… I like it there. But …
Luke 24:30 NRSV 30When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. In honor of our Lord, we are going to transform something from our tradition into something new. We have had a tradition of a Thanksgiving Dinner in the history of our church the week before Thanksgiving Week. …
Matthew 6:21 NRSV 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also I want to thank everyone who experienced this year’s stewardship journey from October 3rd thru October 17th. If you missed one or all of those messages, I encourage you to seek out our website. You can encounter them there. Why talk about money? I stand on …
