Morning Worship, 8/11/13: "A Call to Alms"

     A new report says 1 out of 3 mothers cannot afford enough clean diapers for her children. When approached for comment, Jesus responded, "Sell your possessions and give alms."
     Top assistant Peter then asked him, "Are you serious?"  



May the Lord be with you!

Morning Worship, 7/7/13: Kelsey McCoy

Kelsey McCoy is a rising sophomore at West Virginia University and a member of Ronceverte Presbyterian. Today, reflecting on the story of Jesus sending the disciples out to spread the Good News with only the clothes on their back, Kelsey speaks powerfully about finding faith in the midst of fear. 

May the Lord be with you!

Morning Worship, 6/30/13: "A Samaritan Heresy"

If your primary concept of Jesus is the sweet, cuddly, cute, baby Jesus…whose cheek you just want to pinch because he’s so innocent and angelic…who loves everyone and is kind even to those who hate him, then today’s passage probably upsets you.  Because in today’s story, he’s not cute, he’s at all cuddly, and he’s most certainly not sweet or kind.  Instead, he’s dead serious.  



Enjoy! 

Morning Worship, 6/23/13: "Accepting Rejection"

Today's Gospel lesson is comprised of an unusually odd story. It begins with a crazed, naked man approaching Jesus in a cemetery. What follows is a beautiful--and sometimes painful--tale of acceptance and rejection.



May the Lord be with you.

Morning Worship, 6/16/13: "Lessons from the Bootleg Preacher"

A great man died last week: Rev. Will Campbell, the self-described “bootleg preacher.”  If you have never heard of him, you’re not alone.  Most folks haven’t.  He liked it that way.  But I want to tell you his story and his theology, for it speaks to the core of the Christian faith.



May the Lord be with you!

Morning Worship, 6/9/13: "Regrets of the Dying"

A hospice nurse recently compiled the most common regrets of her dying patients, and I'd like to share those with you today.  I would say that you don’t have to be on your deathbed to consider such thoughts.  But to some degree, we all are on our deathbeds.  We all have regrets.  Some small, some large.  They reside deep within us, like caverns in the ocean, shading every choice we make, holding us back from being the very best version of ourselves.  

May the Lord be with you!

Morning Worship, 6/2/13: "The Centurion's Favor"

            Last weekend, Kerry asked me to help her carry a chair outside.  This was not an unusual request.  People ask me why I have a truck, and I quickly tell them it’s because my wife loves chairs.  The particular chair we were moving was upstairs, so I waited beside it for a few minutes.  Kerry didn’t come, so my stubborn impatience led me to pick it up and bring it downstairs by myself.  Bad idea.  I got it down, but by the hardest.  And I asked myself, “What is wrong with me?  Why can’t I ask for help and be willing to wait and receive it?” 

            With that in mind, I sought counsel from the Scriptures.  I remembered this story of the centurion, so I spent the week studying it.   Why did the centurion reach out to Jesus for help?  How long did he wait to receive it?  Why didn’t he just take the slave to Jesus?  

May the Lord be with you!