Fifth Sunday in Lent Sunday, April 7, 2019 Lectionary C John 12:1-8 As we transition from the reception and celebration of the return of the prodigal son to attend a dinner prepared in Jesus’s honor, let’s evaluate the venue and the dinner guests. Jesus and the 12 (disciples) are on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate…
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Fourth Sunday in Lent Sunday, March 31, 2019 Lectionary C Luke 15:11-32 How do you sum up this parable in 500 words? Well … you don’t … instead, let’s see if you can find your place in the story and let the parable do what parables do: work on your heart in a personal way….
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Third Sunday in Lent Sunday, March 24, 2019 Lectionary C Exodus 3:1 “…remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” I have been richly blessed to have stood or knelt in many holy places. I have been to the Holy Land and walked on the Temple…
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Second Sunday in Lent Sunday, March 17, 2019 Lectionary C Luke 13:31-35 Are You Staying on Track? Getting off track is easy to do, and it may happen for the best of reasons, but we still get off track. We do it all the time…
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First Sunday in Lent Sunday, March 10, 2019 Lectionary C Rethinking the power of darkness … from Luke 4:1-13 …Tempted by the devil…the devil led him…The devil said to him…The devil took him…the devil departed from him until an opportune time… Many people will hear these words and pass them off as archaic, outdated myth…
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Last Sunday after the Epiphany Sunday, March 3, 2019 Lectionary C Luke 9:28-36 Mountains and Valleys Do you remember the first time that you saw mountains? When we were young, we camped during the summer as a family. Our favorite destination was Deep Creek in Bryson City, North Carolina. Every summer, we would find our…
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Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany Sunday, February 24, 2019 Lectionary C In the gospel for this seventh Sunday of Epiphany, Jesus is speaking about love. If we are keen Bible readers, we know that love is Jesus’s favorite topic. Whether we frame some of His actions into humility, unselfishness, compassion or pure friendship, we know…
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Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany Sunday, February 17, 2019 Lectionary C In reflecting on this week’s Gospel, Jesus looks directly into our hearts, just as He looked into the hearts of His disciples on the plain after healing the multitudes. He knew their strengths, He knew their weaknesses, He knew their priorities, He knew their…
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Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany Sunday, February 10, 2019 Lectionary C Lowering Our Nets Reflection on Luke 5:1-11 It has taken me years of adulthood to learn that you “don’t get what you don’t ask for.” I’ve found this very helpful in dealing with the cable company…
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Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany February 3, 2019 Lectionary Year C I don’t remember my first sermon as an ordained clergyperson over 40 years ago. Fresh out of seminary, I was called to be an assistant at a modest-sized church. My only preaching experiences prior to that were in homiletics classes and a few times in…
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