Morning Worship, 4/28/13: "Coloring Outside the Lines"

Our world is full of lines drawn by others which we are expected to stay within--political lines, racial lines, economic lines, cultural lines.  It looks less like a picture drawn by a kindergarten student than it does a high school cafeteria--with athletes here, farmers there, serious students in the corner, party people in the center, and those who don’t quite fit in the lines confined to the periphery.  God proclaims a radically different message, and we see it clearly in Peter’s vision from today’s Scripture.



Grace and peace!

Morning Worship, 4/21/13: "Proper Perspective"

Sometimes we fail to see things in proper perspective.  Something that appears to be small from far away turns out to be large up close.  Someone that appears to be frightening from a distance turns out to be kind in person.  Random events that happen at once seem to be connected.  

Grace and peace! 

Morning Worship, 4/7/13: "Holy Humor Sunday"

*Today, we celebrated "Holy Humor Sunday," infusing as many parts of the worship as possible with humor--from the bulletin to the music to decorations. While some of this will certainly be lost in an audio-only version, we hope our sense of joy about the resurrection shines through clearly! 

Holy Humor Sunday celebrates the biggest practical joke ever played.  Jesus won the peace by defeating death.  Death gave Jesus its best shot, and it wasn’t good enough.  He came back to life as a sign that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God.  “Peace be with you!” he joyfully says to the disciples!  Can’t you see the smile on his face!  

Enjoy!  

Morning Worship, 3/31/13: "The Stone is Gone!"

Some moments are so powerful they change the rest of our lives.  When Mary sat there weeping over the grave, cloths in hand, that could’ve been the moment she never progressed beyond.  Every day after that could have been a little bit worse, until she died.  But because she kept living, because she kept her eyes and ears open, because she remained open to God’s voice, when she heard, “Mary,” everything changed again.  For the good!



Enjoy!

Morning Worship, 3/24/13: "Ain't No Rock"

Palm Sunday is a time to turn things around. And this year I want to turn the traditional Palm Sunday story around...by beginning at the ending.



Enjoy!

Morning Worship, 3/17/13: "Once a Slave, Now a Servant"

Holidays have a way of losing their original meaning over the years. It's as true with Saint Patrick's Day now as it was with Passover in ancient Israel. What can we learn when we compare the two? In short, we see the intimate "closeness" of God.



Enjoy!