The Case for Generous Giving

June 28, 2009 ?Proper 8 (B) 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 ?Paul could command the Corinthian church with apostolic authority to be generous in giving. Three times in this text he declines to do so. He is not appealing to the Law's demand. Instead he appeals to a number of higher and better motives. Instead of "you must," he says "you ought." And he tells us why we ought. There are many good reasons to make us willing givers, five of them are in this brief passage.

Who Is This Jesus?

June 21, 2009 Proper 7 (B) Mark 4:35-41 At the close of a long day spent teaching from a boat at seaside, Jesus sent away the multitudes and bade His disciples shove off for the distant shore. A weary Jesus was soon fast asleep on the steersman's cushion in the rear of the little boat. Soon one of those great and sudden wind storms known to roil the waters of Galilee had the boat and the disciples in crisis mode. Waves were dashing in, threatening to swamp the frail and heavily loaded vessel. Jesus slept on until the disciples shook Him awake with "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" (v. 38).

The Power of the Kingdom

June 14, 2009 Proper 6 (B) Mark 4:26-34 ?In the summer of 1837, the American ship Morrison sailed into Yedo Bay, Japan. On board were three men hoping to be the first Christian missionaries to Japan. But the powerful Satsuma Clan opened fire on the western ship and drove it away. Not until 1859 and after a treaty with Japan were missionaries allowed to enter the country. That year seven missionaries representing four mission societies began their work. I wonder if any of them knew how God would bless their work so that now Japan sends many Christian missionaries to other lands including America.

What Does It Mean to be Born Again?

?June 7, 2009 Trinity Sunday (B) John 3:1-17 ?Ivan the IV lived in the 16th century and was the first czar over all of the Russian empire. He was such a cruel and abusive man that he was given the name "Ivan the Terrible." He had a well known reputation for being immoral and violent. But when he died in 1584, historians record that he was prepared for burial by having his head shaved and being dressed in a monk's robe. The intent was to make God think the czar was a monk, and thus He would allow Ivan the Terrible into Heaven.

The Church of My Dreams

May 31, 2009 ?Pentecost (B) Acts 2:1-21 ?One of my fondest school memories was a seventh grade field trip to Linville Caverns in the mountains of North Carolina. I was mystified by all the beautiful rock formations sculpted by dripping and running water over thousands of years. Our class went deep into the caves where daylight never reached. As the surroundings grew darker, I was getting a bit jittery with the spooky sound of dripping water and the damp feel in the air around us. I sure was glad our guide had a powerful lantern! At one point, he stopped by a stream and pointed out that the trout living in the cavern waterways had been blind all their lives because they had always lived in darkness. I thought about how sad it would be to live in the midst of such breath-taking beauty and be unable to see it.

The Ripple Effect of Prayer

May 24, 2009 Seventh Sunday After Easter John 17:6-19 ?One of my favorite childhood places was a farm pond near my house. It provided so many playful opportunities across the years of my adolescence-fishing, camping, hunting, skipping rocks, bike-riding, woods-walking and so much more.

That’s the Spirit!

May 17, 2009 Sixth Sunday After Easter (B) Acts 10:44-48 No offense, but if you're a died-in-the-crimson-wool football fan of the University of Alabama or a tried-and-true North Carolina-blue basketball fan, there's an unmistakable spirit about you. I was sensitized to it by sharing a college dorm with some of your fellow enthusiasts. What you call pride, we fans of other colleges call arrogance. What you think is confidence, we consider obnoxiousness. But to be fair, that's probably how you feel about fans of the Big Orange or the Cameron crazies of Duke University.

The Not-So-Simple Gospel

May 10, 2009 ?Fifth Sunday After Easter (B) Acts 8:26-40 In my other job I'm a college professor, teaching courses in Bible, theology and ministry. As chair of my department, it recently fell to me to develop the lectures, visuals and exams to be used by all faculty teaching our general education courses of Old and New Testament survey and basic Christian theology. Driving this project was our president's concern that the majority of the students walking our urban campus hallways were biblically and theologically illiterate. I was asked to simplify the message somehow without dumbing it down.

No Other Name

May 3, 2009 ?Fourth Sunday After Easter (B) Acts 4:5-12 Ever since Adam named the animals, we have been fascinated with names. New parents spend countless hours choosing names for their sons and daughters. Lovers may not be able to lasso the moon and give it away as George Bailey promised Mary in It's a Wonderful Life, but for a few bucks they can have a star named in their loved one's honor.

?Good News Is for Sharing

April 26, 2009 ?Third Sunday After Easter (B) Luke 24:36b-48 "I don't believe it!" is the oft-heard response to incredible news. In the shock of the unexpected loss of a loved one, a grieving family member will repeat to herself, in stunned disbelief, "I don't believe it!" If the prize patrol from Publisher's Clearing House pulls into your driveway during the Super Bowl, you will likely say, "I don't believe it!" Suppose someone you love is dead-you watched the crucifixion yourself-and has been buried. In spite of it all, some of your friends have heard reports that your friend has come back from the dead. A few even claim to have seen Him. Of course, this is the story of the disciples and the resurrection. This is the third scene in the resurrection drama presented in Luke. The disciples reacted to the news with "I don't believe it."