Pentecost ⁽³⁹⁾

Psalm 40:1–16, John 7:21–24, Acts 15:1–21 To this very day, churches (and thus the church) struggle with what exactly their faith means and its implications. Certain things appear to have been settled, but others haven’t. Although, perhaps it is better to say that when push…

Luke 22:24–30, Philippians 2:1–11 “I am the greatest,” said Muhammad Ali before his match with Sonny Liston. Michael Phelps is the greatest. Usain Bolt is the greatest. They can’t all be the greatest. Yet, Muhammad Ali was the greatest boxer, for a time. Michael Phelps remains…

Psalm 105:1–4, Deuteronomy 24:17–22, Acts 6:1–7 —John Wesley “…no holiness, but social holiness…” has been misused over the years, being equated with social justice. John Wesley was specifically speaking about what would now call private versus public faith. For John Wesley—and the church as a…

John 17:20–23, Philippians 1:27–28 E Pluribus Unum. If you look at US currency, most (if not all) will have this saying. In Latin, it means "Out of many, one." While the US might be the gathering place of people of many nations, it is the…

Isaiah 49:25–26, Deuteronomy 16:11–12, Galatians 3:23–26 Captivity. When we go to a zoo, we see animals in captivity. In an attempt to keep the animals healthier, zoos invest more and more money to improve the “habitats” of the animals. It feels good to us for…