Galatians 5:22 26 “God, Give Me Patience”

(I have included at the end of this sermon the pastoral prayer, communion meditation, and commission that were given during the service when the sermon was delivered.) There are times I think I should go back to school and earn a Ph. D. in patience. But then I realize one… Continue reading

Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)

If you ask someone what a saint is, they might say, “Someone who is holy.” I like the definition given by a little boy in a Sunday school class who thought about the images of saints in the stained-glass windows of his church. He defined a saint as “somebody the… Continue reading

The Archer, the Bow, and the Arrow

(The following sermon was delivered at our grandson Jeffery’s dedication service.) An honest study of the Scriptures will not provide a lot of specific guidance regarding the rearing of children. And to be honest, some of that guidance is not helpful: “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” “If your… Continue reading

A Message for Graduates…and All the Rest of Us

[When I was pastor of the Wabash Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) I wrote this article on July 7, 1993, for the church newsletter. I wish so much that someone had given me a message like this when I graduated from high school and college—and to be honest, from seminary… Continue reading

Matthew 18:1-3 “When Kid Stuff Becomes Kingdom Stuff”

“Amen, I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven.” A well-known saying from Jesus, but what is it about children we are called to embrace for the sake of our salvation? Well, there is the trust children have in their… Continue reading

Exodus 6:1-15 “Risky Freedom”

The background to our passage is the Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt. Those descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have suffered the harshness of slavery for centuries. Generation after generation has cried out for freedom. The Hebrews experience despair, agony, humiliation, suffering and, perhaps worst of all, hopelessness. The… Continue reading

Genesis 39:1 23 “The Context and the Content of Life”

Chapter 39 of Genesis comes to us in three parts. The middle part, verses 7-20, tell us of a concrete incident in the life of Joseph. Here we find a slice of life – here we can see the content of life for a Hebrew slave, at least for that… Continue reading

Exodus 3:1-5 “What’s in a Name?”

[I want to preface our hearing of the Scripture today with some clarifying remarks. As many of you know, the personal name for God in the Hebrew Scriptures is Yahweh. That was the covenantal name revealed to Israel and cherished by God’s people. By the time of Jesus, this name… Continue reading