May 29, 2018
It is easy to make worship about us. When that happens, we flatten out our spiritual life so it loses any truly transcendent reality. When worship is approached and evaluated in the same way that a play, concert, movie, sporting event is evaluated, then it is no longer about God. God is reduced to a cardboard cutout,...
May 21, 2018
On the Day of Pentecost, a Spirit-filled group of the disciples of Jesus were driven into the street to speak words that testified to Christ. When they opened their mouths, the languages of many nations became audible. Each heard their native tongue. It was not that none of them could communicate before. They all spoke...
May 14, 2018
Today’s gospel is a prayer Jesus prays for his disciples, including those of us who follow Jesus today. We face struggles living in the world and wonder how to endure. We face challenges and admit we don’t have all the answers. And so Jesus prays for us to live in the world but to not to be of the world, yet to love...
May 7, 2018
In today’s lesson from Acts, the Holy Spirit interrupts Peter’s sermon by filling the uncircumcised gentiles with gifts of the Spirit. Last week, as Philip brought good news to Samaria, the Spirit interrupted, sending him to proclaim the gospel to an Ethiopian eunuch. While we often think we are in control of...