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Preparing The Way

Last week the message was to stay awake and alert and at the same time, through a little Advent Sleep Disorder Bingo, Pastor Dave encouraged us to get proper rest. This week John the Baptist is once again on the scene calling us to prepare through a little repair. Repentance is the theme as we get ready and remove obstacles for the coming one. With...

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The Advent Wreath

One of the best-known customs for the season is the Advent wreath. The wreath and winter candle-lighting amid growing darkness strengthen some of the Advent images found in the Bible. The unbroken circle of greens is an image of everlasting life, a victory wreath, the crown of Christ, or the wheel of time itself. Christians use the wreath as a sign...

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How many times? Forgive again… and again… and again?

Real love creates a climate where forgiveness and understanding are readily given and received. In all his parables on forgiveness and reconciliation, Jesus calls anyone who would be his disciples to be committed to the work of reconciliation, to be always ready and willing to make the first move toward forgiveness, to be actively engaged in the wo...

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Not just another Mother's Day!

"Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon…" Silence, refusal to act, exile, condemnation - all the responses you'd expect, right? What are we dealing with here in Matthew 15 this Sunday? She wants a better life for her 11 year old than the violence of gang warfare. So mother and son abandon their life in Columbia an...

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The Advocate

This Sunday's gospel is part of the "farewell discourse," where Jesus is saying goodbye to his disciples and assuring them that he'll continue to be with them. Poet Nayyirah Waheed, in her collection salt has a wonderful short poem on difficult goodbyes that might speak to the situation and mood in our gospel reading for the 6th Sunday of Easter. i...

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Let's hear it for FAITHFUL Thomas!

On the second Sunday of Easter we always turn to the one who is often called "Doubting Thomas." He is the one who misses out on the first meeting with Jesus behind the locked doors that keep them safe from the world. The others are thrilled with having seen the risen Lord and Thomas expresses his need to see for himself. He wants his own experience...

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From "Hosanna" to "Crucify him"

Palm/Passion Sunday First it is a parade, then it is a perp walk. One minute the crowd shouts, "Hosanna!"  Not too much later, the tide is turned and people are shouting, "Crucify him!" Today, we encounter the paradox that defines our faith: Jesus Christ is glorified king and humiliated servant. We too are full of paradox: like Peter, we ferve...

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Come and See

Fourth Sunday in Lent The gospel for this Sunday is the story of the man born blind healed by Christ. "I was blind, now I see," declares the man. But what an uproar this causes. There follows a long inquisition about his identity, who was involved, the testimony of the townspeople, the blind man's parents, and the reaction of the Pharisees. Jesus i...

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Transfiguration Sunday: We can't stay on the mountain

How often do you reflect back on a "mountain-top" experience in your life? What continuing role does it play other than a positive memory? The Season of Epiphany began and concludes with an extraordinary event, a clear revelation of who Jesus is and what he means to God and to God's Kingdom. At his baptism and now on the Mt. of Transfiguration a di...

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Why Fishermen?

One of the key passages we visit during the Epiphany Season each year is the calling of the first disciples. Jesus has left home and announced himself with a startling message: "The kingdom of heaven has come near!" And what does this mean for the average person? Repent! Get your act together! Now! So, Jesus is on a mission and he is putting togeth...

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A Good Start To A New Year!

For the earliest Christians, Sunday, the day of the resurrection, was both the first day of the week and the eighth day, a day somehow outside of normal time. The practice of celebrating a church festival for a full eight days goes back to the 6th century. In the past, this eighth day of Christmas commemorated also Jesus' circumcision, his entry in...

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