An adult discussion group is meeting at St. Paul’s following the Sunday morning service (9:45 AM). This informal group uses the Wired Word curriculum (https://www.thewiredword.com/samples) that seeks to present scriptural insights in the context of current events.
Early in the week I was reading through the devotion from “The Word in Season” and it stuck with me. You may know by heart Psalm 23 where it says “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me (4).” (or you may know it the way I do: Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil”) The devotion went on to…
Yesterday was the commemoration of St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226). Born to a rich merchant’s family in Italy, as a young man he was fascinated by adventure and became a knight. The story goes that he encountered a leper and was moved to kiss the man’s face. From that moment he started reimagining his life in light of the gospel. He renounced his selfish ways and…
It was the first verse of the letter to the Philippians that answered my prayers this week. What do our congregations need right now? “If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing of the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy” (Phil. 2:1). We could all use the love that accompanies all these right now. We do not have a list of…
Parable of the Vineyard This parable is not about money or fairness though it might seem like that on the surface. First we have to know that the Vineyard in the days this was written was a metaphor for the Community in Christ. AND we have to know that the kingdom of God does not look like our earthly kingdoms. God gives us more than we…
“Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They (the disciples) looked at each other greatly astounded and said to one another “Then who can be saved?” 27Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but…