Father Abraham, we call him—but not so in the beginning. Long ago, God called a man, named at the time Abram, to trust beyond the stars. Beneath a starry sky and glimmering night, God proclaims several promises to this old citizen past his prime. In his closing years, Abraham is seventy-five, and Sarah is a […]
Luke 18:1-8: The Persistent Widow
October 21, 2022 by
Every so often, you furrow your brow at the paper or glower at the television news. The police arrest an individual for a horrific offense. A jury soon convicts him. After serving time in prison, fresh evidence comes to light, and another judge exonerates him. Whenever we blunder upon such a scandal, we may picture […]
Habakkuk: I Yet Will Triumph in the Lord
October 3, 2022 by
Oh, how we question God’s ways, assuming He’s forgotten us, wondering why things happen the way they do. Little does He stop the violent hurt of our day. The threat of dreadful ilk abounds among our citizenry—not only by our machination but from nature’s forces most unyielding. The world is unequal, as everybody with […]
Jesus in the Storm
August 13, 2020 by
The day began as Jesus withdrew to a deserted place to be alone. Later, in the afternoon sun, He ascends atop a mountain to pray. Again, Jesus seeks solitude, far from both crowds and followers. Earlier, our Lord told His disciples to take to the water in a boat—but this time, He lets them go […]
The Conundrum of Faith and Love
June 26, 2019 by
This is our pastor’s article for the Summer, 2019 edition of our newsletter. Faith The workings of a holy God are contrary to our sinful nature, for He is pure and we are not. So, don’t let how He chooses to do things surprise you. Still, we often are. Reflect on faith, and you will […]
Mark 9:14-29: Faith and Faithfulness
September 16, 2018 by
In today’s Gospel, Jesus triumphs in a spiritual miracle, casting out a demon. For us, this is almost unrelatable because we can explain, in some way, people’s bizarre conduct. In our world, people exhibit many weird behaviors. Still, we almost always come up with some explanation, often traceable to an illness—Bipolar disorder, Alzheimer’s, a horrible […]
Sandy Webb’s Funeral Homily: Baptism Does What?
September 15, 2018 by
John 3:1-7, 14-17; Genesis 7:11-13, 22-23; 8:1, 9:8-15; 1 Peter 3:18-21 Sometimes, someone enters your life who speaks the truth, flowing from a heart of love, without pretense or agenda. Whenever a friend like this becomes part of your life, don’t let him go. Such people are rare. Don’t allow being comfortable to obstruct genuine […]
Romans 6:19-23: Sin’s Wage vs. God’s Gift
July 30, 2017 by
All around us, whether infiltrating the air or intertwining itself into the tapestry of our culture, is an assumption. To be free is to be the boss, under no one else’s thumb. Now, at first, who will disagree? Oh, how gratifying and cathartic, until we realize we turn ourselves into self-made gods. Only scan human […]
Romans 1:8-17: The Gospel is Jesus
January 22, 2017 by
We use different words to describe faith. We trust the 911 operator will direct our call to the closest fire station. We rely on the bank manager to keep the ATM filled with enough money when we drive up to withdraw 20 bucks. We believe a close friend will not betray a confidential conversation. Faith […]
Romans, Lesson 8: Not Works but Faith
October 16, 2016 by
Earlier in Romans chapter 3, Paul transitioned from using “Law” to mean “Torah” (when he was addressing the Jewish Christian in the congregation) now to mean “God’s standard of righteousness for everyone” (Romans 3:19). Paul’s point? No one, whether Jew or Gentile, is righteous before God by what he does because no one can meet […]
