Matthew 5:13-20 (Isaiah 58:1-12, Psalm 112) In the midst of all the excitement this past week—both in our nation and the world at large—I spent one morning doing something rather mundane. Facing a breakfast counter covered with paperwork—mortgage statements, receipts of medical expenses, annual reports of dividends and charitable gifts, Read more…
Luke 2:22-40 When I was a baby, one family member on my dad’s side especially would stop by the house. He was what you’d call a “shirt-tail” relative. If you’re unfamiliar with that term, what it means is that someone is part of an extended family, but somewhere down the Read more…
Matthew 4:12-23 The first congregation that called me as a pastor had a preschool. Being the first fulltime assistant minister that that church had ever had, I was soon asked to start telling Bible stories to the children. Some kind of visual aid—like a hand puppet—could be useful. So I Read more…