EASTER 6 - May 25, 2014

 I had the pleasure of supplying at the West Hempfield PC once again this week, and used the lectionary text from Acts 17:22-31 as the basis of my sermon. I particularly focused on:
            ²²Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are 
            in every way. ²³For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found 
            among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, 
            this I proclaim to you.                                                                                    

Paul then delivered a strong witness to the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ to the people of the Areopogus, the business council of Athens. Though a few heard and believed, most could not get past their Hellenist belief that the body is just excess baggage, a drag on the spirit which yearns to be set free from it. The  idea  of  resurrection  - of  the body! -  was  too much to swallow. 

The  key point is that  Paul looked for 'where  the people were' and met them there. Just  as  God comes to us where we  are in Jesus Christ. And that is where we are  called  to begin our witness. AND the good  news for us is that we don't all have to gio out into streets like Paul. St. Francis of Assisi said so eloquently:
            "Preach  the gospel always; and when necessary, use words."


               + could you sit and simply breathe with a Native American as a way of  praying with him/her?
           + could you welcome without judgment someone seeking God's love who looked or acted in a way 
              foreign or even distasteful to you?
           + who do you know who might benefit from receiving God's love and grace enacted through you?  
               how ready are you to offer it to strangers you will never see again or know whether you had any 
               impact on them or not?            

My 'Visible and In visible' Class at Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, NM displaying our 'prayer totems'

Prayer Flags made by the class and left outside the Agape Worship Center as a gift.

EASTER 4 - May 11, 2014

I had the opportunity to supply this past Sunday (Mother's Day in the secular world) since I am 'between calls' and was moved to speak about the I AM saying of John 10:1-10, particularly:
    ⁷So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 
      ⁸All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them.  
      ⁹I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out 
          and find pasture.  
     ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, 
          and have it abundantly.

The Greek word for 'gate' can just as easily be translated 'door'. It is rendered 'gate' here because that is what a sheepfold has, not a door! 

But we think more in terms of doors in our everyday lives. One of our most common metaphors is 'when one door closes .... another door opens!' I personally envision this in seeking direction in my life (or a new call!) as looking for a door that is open just a crack and sticking my toes into it. If it opens, I go on through! But if it slams shut on them I howl for a moment and go in search of another door that is cracked open. 

          +How do you seek guidance for the direction in your life? 
          +Do you have a strong sense of Jesus Christ's presence leading you to and through those choices? 

Entrance to Library at St. Andrew's University, Scotland

                                      

Entrance to the Chapel at St. Andrew's University, Scotland

Gated Entrance in St. Andrew's, Scotland

Turnstile for people at the entrance to the Heugh, Lindisfarne, England