A Methodist minister tells this story… A family of inactive members in his parish lived right next door to the church. The yard was a disgrace. Wrecked cars and discarded appliances littered the place. The grass was seldom mowed. The husband was a disgrace. He drank too much and rumors were that he […]
3247) Not All Churches are the Same Read More »
In Ecclesiastes 5:2 Solomon says, “Do not be quick with your mouth; do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth.” Or, we might say, “God is big and you are little, so show a little respect.” Every once
Above: Going to Church, 1960 (I’m the one wearing the black hat) ————————————- Clayton was a teenager in my congregation several years ago. He was a good boy and always did what his parents told him to do. His parents told him to go along to church with them every Sunday morning, and
3192) Making Memories Read More »
Don’t miss the videos at the end– especially the first one! It was December 2019 and Lisa Clow was not at all in the Christmas spirit. It had been a difficult year and a half, and she was struggling. Finances had been a problem, she suffered a miscarriage, and some troubled relationships left
3099) Oh Come, All You Unfaithful Read More »
A while back an old friend told me he didn’t go to church anymore. He said, “It’s the same old thing: ‘things are bad now,’ the preacher always says, ‘but someday Jesus will return and then everything will be better.’ I’ve heard it all before.” My friend knows I am a
3078) Advent… Again Read More »
(…continued) When the Peter and Paul movie was first televised several years ago, I was in the midst of a difficult and complicated time in the congregation I was serving. These difficulties and complications had nothing to do with the basic, important things that the early church was focused on, but on far
2896) Back to the Basics (2/2) Read More »
In the traditional liturgy there are certain little dialogs between the pastor and the congregation that, over time, become automatic. For example, if the pastor says “The Lord be with you,” the congregation will respond with, “And also with you,” even if they don’t have their bulletin or hymnal ahead of them. In
2855) He Is Risen Indeed! Read More »
Above painting: The Last Supper by Fritz von Uhde (1886) ————— During his Last Supper with the disciples, on the night before he died on the cross, Jesus passed around some bread and wine, told the disciples it was his body and blood, and said it was given for the forgiveness of their
2834) Alone With Your Thoughts? Read More »
(…continued) We could talk about the purpose of the church and the Biblical theology of worship and how there is something in all humans that reaches out for something beyond themselves, and all that. But worship is, at its center, simply a weekly remembrance of God. Is church the only
2832) Through the Grapevine (2/2) Read More »
Marvin Gaye’s 1968 song “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” is #80 on Rolling Stone magazine’s top 500 hits of all time. Jesus also had something to say about grapevines, and I will get to that after the song. ———- NOTE TO READER: For the best format to display each day’s meditation, always click on
2831) Through the Grapevine (1/2) Read More »
