As I was starting to think about this Sunday,  

I remembered the news item from about a month ago about Nikki Haley,  

the supposedly more moderate Republican candidate,  

who when asked about the causes of the Civil War  

did not initially mention slavery.

This anecdote speaks to the current state of American politics, ...

This morning we hear the church year’s first miracle story,

which emphasizes the authority of Jesus as the Son of God.

In this passage,  

Jesus shows his authority over teaching  

by speaking with a confidence and clarity that differs from the scribes.  

He also demonstrates his power over demons and sickness  

by...

Here’s a familiar scenario you might encounter every other day.:

The phone rings

…the display shows “unknown caller”

or some very strange number that starts with a “v”

…do you pick up?

Do you?

Chances are, no.  

There are just too many scammers around,  

and if it’s really important...

After last Sunday’s crowds of Christmas Eve have disappeared,  

we are back to the faithful few!  

The bells, and whistles and candles have vanished,  

And those who remain are the patient old souls who wait and watch  

for God’s appearing.

Have you ever waited for something with great anticipation?  

Maybe...

As believers, we are called to be witnesses to the light of Christ.  

But how do we fulfill this role and reflect His light amidst the bleakness and the desperation all around?  

Today, we ponder the testimony of John the Baptist  

and learn from his example of bearing witness to the light of Christ.

John the Baptizer’s told...

This morning is the third part of a series on Matthew 25,  

a comforting but also frightening chapter.

The last two Sundays,  

we had parables based on relatively normal circumstances,  

a wedding and an extended trip,  

where people were divided into two groups:

The good and the bad:

The good were those who were prepared and...

Siblings in Christ,  

today we will be reflecting on the parable of the talents,  

Jesus’ story about a master who entrusted his servants with different amounts of money before he went away on a journey.  

This parable teaches us about the importance of stewardship and how we are called to use  

our gifts and talents...

Did you ever get a wedding invitation in the mail  

that just filled your heart with a special sort of joy?

A wedding invitation is more than just a piece of paper  

or a ping on your phone, right?.

It's a request to be happy for someone else's big day.  

It is a call to celebrate, to stand witness to the loving union of two...

At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow,  

every tongue confess him, King of Glory now.

These opening words from our Hymn of the Day  

Echo our reading from Philippians this morning,  

which could be called: An ode to humility.

—

“For the love of God”,  

Paul passionately begs us to show compassion and...

As I mentioned before, this is an edited version of Carey’s sermon for today.

—

Often when we hear a parable,  

we try to find where we fit into the story.  

We may identify with different angles of the story, we may focus on different parts of the story

which helps us to understand it

Perhaps the situation of the early ...