Luke 11. 1-4 I’m not sure how we learn how to pray. We probably pick up patterns from all kinds of places and people. Do we pray like we talk with our parents, whatever a parent has been to us? Do we pray like we talk with our friends, at least the ones who willRead more
I can see the church building from our dining room window, so we’ve got a pretty good view of the big conifer dressed up in Christmas lights, which our two-year-old has been very excited about. Every morning she checks to see if the lights are still on and reports back promptly. The other day weRead more
Sermon, Living Waters Church, December 5, 2021Watch or listen here Our carol for reflection today might be new to some of us but is a well-loved Christmas hymn in other traditions. Once in Royal David’s City is one of those carols which draws out the sharp contrasts surrounding Jesus’ birth in the gospels. Which reminds me ofRead more
LWC November 7, 2021 There’s a very old joke about an elevator operator who is usually ignored by those who take the lift from floor to floor. Finally, one day someone takes an interest in him. “This is a unique career choice”, says a woman, “how do you like your job?”, and the elevator operatorRead more
Watch the sermon here. I have to admit that taking on Psalm 23 feels a bit like getting up to sing Karaoke, and then selecting “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond. Most everyone knows it, most everyone likes it, but the chances of doing it any justice feel very slim. Psalm 23 is one of theRead more
Today we’re beginning a season in the book of Psalms. Which reminds me of a story I once heard of a traveling preacher who visited a small, rural church and began his sermon by saying, “Since I’m new, I asked your minister for a list of all of you, broken down by age and byRead more
Luke 10.21-24 Pastors can be guilty of boring people with too many reflections from their own lives, and I’m sure at times I’m no exception. But you’ll have to forgive me today because what we’ve just heard from Jesus in Luke 10 remind me of a recent event in our family’s life. A few weeksRead more
It came as little surprise to me that Jennifer passed away when she did. We had many conversations about death, about eternity, about what it meant to trust that God would keep her safe, maker her well, in this life or the next. In fact, I felt warmed to walk away from one of myRead more
Luke 9.46-48 Watch the sermon here. The island of Capri in southern Italy is a playground for the rich and famous. Visit and you’ll see super-yachts, fancy restaurants, and high fashion boutiques. Capri is a place synonymous with opulence and wealth, and the Roman ruins there tell us it was the same in Jesus’ day.Read more
Colossians 1.9-11 Last year a handful of us on the team set up portable workspaces in our church sanctuary, spreading out around the room in a kind of physically distant communal office. We didn’t take that time together for granted, because even though the faces were repetitive, they were at least live faces! Of course,Read more