Wherever You Go Psalm 72:11-15, 20 and Luke 9: 51-62 In 1927, a storm sewer line was installed here in Akron beneath what was then known as Tallmadge Parkway. Over the next three decades, the pipe deteriorated badly while the problem went undetected. News reports from July 21, 1964 state […]
Like He Was Overrun by an Army Selected Verses from Psalm 42 and 43 and Luke 8:26-39 In our second lesson this morning, Jesus is in a foreign land. We know that he’s among the gentiles when pigs, ritually unclean animals, are mentioned. And here, in the land of the […]
We Hold These Truths Romans 5:1-5 and John 16:12-15 On July 4, 1776, the unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America read as follows: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, […]
Other Worldly Psalm 67:1-7 and John 14:23-29 In 2012, brain cancer took the life of a 9-year-old boy from New Jersey named Christian Clopp. Two years after Christian’s death, “a town committee member suggested building an all-access playground in his name.” That vision ultimately became a reality, and the new […]
Exaltation Revelation 21:1-6 and John 13:31-35 This week’s Gospel lesson begins with a seemingly straightforward phrase, saying: “when he had gone out.” But, to understand who “he” is, we have to backtrack a bit, where we soon discover that “he” was actually Judas Iscariot, the one who will soon betray […]
Sheep Psalm 23:1-6 and John 10:22-30 Weldon Phillip Keller grew up in Kenya, the son of missionary parents. He died in 1997, having authored 35 books on a variety of Christian subjects. As a young man, his primary employment for eight years was as a sheep owner and rancher. And […]
“Reminders to Follow” Psalm 30 and John 21: 1-19 During a fishing trip with the other disciples, we learn that Simon Peter is naked. We’re not told why, but I offer this theory. In those days, fishing was an incredibly physical, messy, and smelly business. So while the disciples had […]
“Cognitive Dissonance” Acts 5:27-32 and John 20:19-31 A woman once told me that she has struggled for decades with the parable of the prodigal son. When I asked her what was troubling to her about that passage, she told me that the father’s actions, as described in that text, are […]
April 21, 2019 – Easter If What You Say Is True – Luke 24:1-12 Construction on the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris began in the year 1163. Nearly 200 years later, the doors first opened to the public in 1345. The church, long considered an architectural masterpiece, welcomes approximately 13 […]
“Maundy Thursday Reflections ” – April 18, 2019 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 and John 13:1-17, 31b-35 William Lynch reminds us that we live by hope. “Everything that we do in life is based on the hope that doing will get us somewhere, though sometimes we know not where.” [1] By this definition, […]
