He Will Be Your God and You Will Be His People, Exodus 17:1–7, Third Sunday in Lent, March 15, 2020 ************************************************************************* Once upon a time, there was a Sunday morning worship service, in a south Mississippi costal community. The service had begun and most everyone was in their assigned seat ready to hear the proclamation of […]
Father Abraham, Genesis 12:1–9, Second Sunday in Lent, March 8, 2020 ************************************************************************* Believe it or not, it is already the Second Sunday in Lent. The season of Lent returns us to the very basics of Christianity. Last week we remembered the fall into sin and the victory of Christ over the ancient serpent, crushing his head […]
Don’t Do It Eve, Don’t Listen to Him, Genesis 3:1–21, First Sunday in Lent, March 1, 2020 ************************************************************************* Have you ever screamed at the screen or an actor during a horror film? “Don’t do it, don’t go in there, there is a bad guy behind the door!” And sure enough, even though you tried to warn […]
Etiquette for Dining with God, Exodus 24:8-18, The Transfiguration of Our Lord, February 23, 2020 ************************************************************************* At first I was a little skeptical when the seminary offered a free etiquette class. Yet upon further reflection and discovering that a free meal was included, I reconsidered. Ellen and I put on our best duds, uh I mean, […]
Grumbling Grumbler, Deuteronomy 30:15–20, Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, February 16, 2020 ************************************************************************* The story is told about a wife of a hard-to-please husband who was determined to try her best to satisfy him for just one day. “Darling,” she asked, “what would you like for breakfast this morning?” He growled, “Coffee and toast, grits and […]
God’s DNA in You, Isaiah 58:3-9a, Matthew 5:13-20, Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany (Seminary Sunday), February 9, 2020 *********************************************************** In recent years, DNA testing has become an important part of our culture. In 1953 James Watson and Francis Crick became the first scientists to formulate an accurate description of the DNA molecule’s complex structure. On June […]
Forty Days, Genesis 7:1-4, 12, Exodus 24:15-18, Numbers 13:1-3, 25, 1 Samuel 17:4-9, 16, 1 Kings 19:1-6, 8, Matthew 4:1-2, Luke 2:22–32 Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany (The Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Our Lord), February 2, 2020 *********************************************************************** For the Church, today is not Groundhog Day or Super Bowl Sunday. Today is a key turning point in our […]
A Light to the Nations, Isaiah 49:1–7, Second Sunday after Epiphany, January 19, 2020 ************************************************************************* Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Of course, each season is different, even in South Mississippi. Each season has its own distinctive traits, like those related to the weather, or the blossoming of certain plants, or the coming or going of foliage. […]
Take My Hand, Isaiah 42:1–9 (Matthew 3:13-17), The Baptism of Our Lord, January 12, 2020 ************************************************************************* A father was walking with his toddler close behind. They were going from a Sunday school building to the sanctuary of the main church building. The father, knowing they were approaching a set of about 20 steps going down to […]
My New Year Resolutions, 1 Kings 3:4–15, Second Sunday in Christmas, January 5, 2020 ************************************************************************* This New Year I resolve to be greedier, meaner, and nastier than ever before. I resolve to drink more beer, eat more fried foods, smoke more cigars, watch more TV, and exercise less. I’m hoping to make this the laziest, least […]