Every week, our pastor writes a short piece about the gospel reading prescribed by Revised Common Lectionary.
The intent of the article is to give you something to contemplate. Maybe even a new way of looking at the reading. Perhaps you might make a new connection to Jesus and his word of life.
These are designed to enhance or add to your experience from a sermon, by our pastor, or your pastor.
Engage in the word of God manifested in the Son.
Gospel Message from Pastor William. 4th Sunday of Advent (Luke 2:8-20) 12/19/2021 Shepherds were social outcasts of their day; living in fields and dealing with dangers, death and blood. Once again, God uses the lowly and outcasts to do marvelous things. An angel of the Lord appears and proclaims good news of great joy. […]
3rd Sunday of Advent (Luke 2:1-7) Gospel Message from Pastor William Across the globe, people celebrate this birth story; calling it Christmas (until 1083; “mass on Christ’s day”.) In the early 20th century, “Christ’s Day” turned into a secular family holiday devoid of Christian elements. Churches began to move their mass to the evening before; […]
2nd Sunday of Advent (Luke 1:39-56) Gospel Message from Pastor William This week we look at Mary’s visit to her kinfolk Elizabeth where she proclaims the Magnificat (magnify.) Mary magnifies that God is faithful, God longs for healthy human relationships, God’s damaged creation will be repaired, and God lifts up the lowly, hurt, and marginalized. […]
1st Sunday of Advent In today's scripture we hear that both Zechariah and Elizabeth "were righteous before God" (v6.) In Jewish faith, it was well understood that one did not earn salvation, but that God's grace came to them before they were found to be righteous. God's forgiving grace always comes first. Our response of […]
Christ the King Sunday Gospel message from Pastor William Jesus said; "My kingdom is not of this world." And there is the problem! We use human terms and understanding and apply it to Jesus and God's kingdom. God's kingdom come, we pray, but do we really want it to happen the way God wants it […]
25th Sunday after Pentecost "Repent, the end is near!" - a familiar exhortation proclaimed by many across the two thousand years since Jesus walked this earth. Even today, many good minded Christians point to earthly calamities and say; "The end is near." But, Jesus says pay no attention to false proclamations, for the end will […]
All Saints Sunday Gospel message from Pastor William Mary confronts Jesus; "Lord, if you had been here, my brother (Lazarus) would not have dies." Many of us also cry out; Why God would you allow our loved ones to die, or allow people to be murdered? What is with this God who won't step in […]
Reformation Sunday Jesus declares; "The truth will make you free." Ever tell a story and embellish it a bit? Then, the next time you tell the story, you have to remember how the embellishment went. Keep doing this and it either gets difficult to remember the truth, or you begin to believe the lie (that's […]
22nd Sunday after Pentecost Bartimaeus a blind beggar, is saved from his condition by his faith in Jesus. But that is not the amazing thing. Of all of Jesus' followers, it is the blind man who actually sees Jesus as the one who will save people from that which blocks their having an abundant connected […]
21st Sunday after Pentecost Just before this week’s gospel, Jesus tells his disciples, for the third time, that they are headed to Jerusalem where he will be arrested, mocked, beaten and killed; and after three days, rise from the dead. And in this week’s gospel what do the disciples argue about? Well, who among them […]
