Choosing the better part: One Thing instead of many things (The Depth Dimension)
SERMON: Theme: Choosing the better part: One Thing instead of many things. Luke 10:38-42 Physics has a wonderful term called degrees of freedom. What it means is that an object that is free to move in one dimension has one degree of freedom. It can move back and forth in a straight line. But this…
Invisible Boundaries of Exclusion
SERMON: Invisible Boundaries of Exclusion Acts 11:1-18! In the movie Chocolat (2000), we meet the strict town mayor Comte (komt) de Reynaud (Rynou), who expelled all the protestant Huguenots from his village. He controls everything in the small French town, even writing the young priest’s sermons. He was meticulous…
MOTHER HEART OF GOD
Word 4 Children: God is like a Mother If you think about the positive aspects of your Mother or Grandmother: >>>> What do you like about her? >>>> What are you grateful for? My mom: is an angel smells nice helps me when I’m hurt is angry sometimes votes for me is in love is a comfort-machine is my story drives us around is special…
Easter Octave E=MC2
JOHN 20:19-31 EASTER OCTAVE : E=MC2 WORD 4 CHILDREN Does anyone of you have a Nickname? Name other than your Given Name? Do you know someone with a nickname? Nicknames: Cute Best Friend Nicknames & Funny Best Friend Nicknames Mouse, Munchkin, Bee, Bug, Chipmunk, Cutie Pie, Buttercup Nugget, Teacup, Oldie, Shortie, Kiddo, Smarty, Scout, Ace, Punk, Rambo, Bond, Giggles,…
Glory in the Cross
Good Friday 2022:
Glory in the Cross Before we do the scripture reading it is important to keep the larger context of the book of Isaiah in mind, as well as the place and structure of the Servant song. In the first part of the book Isaiah, Chapters 1-39, we find mostly oracles of judgment. The Book tracks the movement of Judah’s decline and final expulsion from the…
Mercy in Relationships
SERMON: MERCY IN RELATIONSHIPS (Gen 45:1-15, 46:29-30, Eph 4:25-32, John 13:35-36) NO EXIT: The Famous line “Hell is other people”by French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre has a very interesting background:The line comes from a 1944 existentialist play by him called No Exit. In the play, three characters arrive in Hell. They’re expecting flames and pitchforks, but instead,…
Surprised by God in SILENCE
SURPRISED BY GOD IN SILENCE (PS 131, 1 Kings 19, Mark 9:1-9)*** ON MY MOTHER’S LAP Picture a child sitting on her parent’s lap while watching a scary movie. The child is totally engrossed in the movie, to the point of forgetting that she is safely held in the parent’s lap. The movie is so absorbing and frightening that the child is terrified and feels unsafe…
Surprised by God in ART
SURPRISED BY GOD IN ART Call to Worship Yearning for the Breath of God. Joyce Rupp A small wooden flute, an empty, hollow reed, rests in her silent hand. it awaits the breath of one who creates song through its open form. my often-empty life rests in the hand of God; like the hollowed flute, it yearns for the melody which only Breath can…
Surprised by God in PEOPLE
SURPRISED BY GOD IN PEOPLE The famous painter Rembrandt painted the Emmaus story seven times in his life. 1 The first time was in 1629 when he was 22 years old. He portrayed the moment of surprise when Cleopas recognized that it was Jesus at his table. Notice that Jesus is on the right hand of the painting, with little detail about who Jesus was. 2 In 1634,…
Surprised by God in NATURE
Surprised by GOD in Nature – Call to Worship (Responsive) by Macrina Wiederkehr My bare feet walk the earth reverently For everything keeps crying, Take off your shoes The ground you stand on is holy The ground of your being is holy. When the wind sings through the pines Like a breath of God awakening you to the sacred present calling your soul to new insights Take…