There is a balsam, or indeed a blood, Dropping from heaven, which doth both cleanse and close All sorts of wounds; of such strange force it is. Seek out this All-heal, and seek no repose, Until thou find and use it to thy good. (George Herbert, An Offering) Hanging on our hallway wall is a printRead more
…an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equallyRead more
Sermon | Living Waters Church | February 10, 2019 A real shake up. That’s what we can expect if we listen and respond to the good news about Jesus. We’re drawn out of our usual surroundings and into the wild by a voice telling us something different than others tell us, or even what weRead more
Sermon | Living Waters Church | February 3, 2019 Sooner or later, like Mary, we’ll probably find ourselves asking God: “What do youthink you’re doing? Don’t you realize the trouble your causing me?” Maybe that has to do with God not checking the boxes we expected, or answering a prayer, or even, if we’re honest,Read more
Sermon | Living Waters Church | January 13, 2019 Simeon was there. There’s a lot in those few words. A phrase we might miss in the blinding light of the big moment. Because in many ways, Simeon had been there, patient, eager, committed to God and God’s purposes, for many years. And those years noRead more
“The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.”(Luke 2.20) Like many others our family didn’t have an expansive budget at Christmas. Whatever preexisting financial pressure there was, it didn’t dissipate in December. My parents took this in stride, however, and Christmas never felt lacking butRead more
“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring greatRead more
“Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” (Luke 2.14) My wife and I recently wandered through the Christmas decoration department of a local store. Among the ornaments and other trappings was a particularly large nativity set. All the regular characters were present (shepherds, angels, etc.)Read more
“… there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished …” (Luke 2.16-17) A friend of mine was marveling this week at how many people are interested inRead more
You remember that scene. Charlie Brown is at his wit’s end, distraught and disillusioned about Christmas. Surely it has more to do with all these trivial trappings, all this commercialized nonsense.“Can anyone tell me what Christmas is all about?!” he shouts when his plans of trying to make sense of Christmas are falling through. LinusRead more
