John 20:19-31 The Presbyterian minister and author Frederick Buechner tells the story of his friend, an apparently healthy 68-year-old man who died in his sleep. He died in March, and in May my wife and I were staying with his widow overnight when I had a short dream about him. […]
Easter – John 20:1-18 Whatever the season, you can find her there. Seated at the highest point, amid unobstructed views, she casts her gaze in the direction of his eventual return. In fairer weather, when others come and go, her attention is diverted for a time. A chipmunk dives […]
John 13:1-17, 31b-35 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 On Maundy Thursday, Jesus gathers his disciples in an upper room where he prepares to wash their feet. In those days, foot washing was considered such a menial task that even Jewish slaves did not provide this service for other Jews. [1] This […]
Psalm Sunday – Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 and Mark 11:1-11 In their book, The Last Week, Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan argue that “the procession Christians celebrate on Palm Sunday was most likely a protest march. On that day there was a ‘peasant procession’ led by Jesus as he entered […]
Psalm 119:10-16 and John 12:20-33 March 1, 2013, was a life-changing day for Jim Mismas. That morning, Westminster’s former Music Director had just finished breakfast and was returning to the kitchen when he felt an unmistakable tension in his chest. He fell to the floor and called out to […]
Ephesians 2:4-10 and Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 Those who struggle with alcohol and drug addictions often like to keep those conditions hidden, lest they be judged and scorned by others. But workaholism is different because it is visible – out in the open where it is easy for all to […]
Psalm 19:1-14 and John 2:13-22 For thousands of years, the Jewish faithful have gathered to remember the fundamental event in Israel’s history, the celebration of its liberation from Egypt. [1] This year, the festival of the Passover begins on Saturday, March 27th. And as you may recall, in his lifetime, […]
Genesis 9:8-17 and Mark 1:9-15 The primary function of biblical covenants “is to serve as a formal commitment between two parties. Covenants establish, or recognize, a relationship.” [1] In the case of our first lesson this morning, that relationship is between God and all of creation. And the sign of […]
Mark 1:29-39 The whole of Scripture speaks to two questions: How is God present and active in the world, and what does that mean for us, as the people of God? Those two questions in turn raise a third: How are we to respond to God’s active presence among […]