The Rev. George Adamik discusses Isaiah 58:1-9a and the movement from “what can we do for others?” to “what can we do with others?”.

On Christmas Eve, the Rev. George Adamik reflects on the origins of the manger scene: “Jesus Christ comes into our world to show us God’s love for us, to show us how good we are, to show us the possibilities in our lives. Jesus came into this world not to change God’s mind about us but to change our mind about God and to know this great, incredible love that God has for us.”

The Rev. George Adamik contemplates the season of Advent: “We really cheat ourselves when we think that Advent is just these four weeks to get us ready for Christmas. Advent is really that and beyond. It’s a season that invites us to look to the fullness of creation, the fullness of who we can become. In a sense, Advent is the Alpha looking towards the Omega.”

As we near the end of our stewardship campaign, Fr. George reflects on who we are as a parish community, where we are, and where we’re headed. Remember to pledge, and thank you for your support of St. Paul’s and its ministries.

Fr. George considers Jesus’s call to “pray always” in Luke 18:1-8: “Often, when we hear the word ‘praying,’ we think of saying prayers, but prayer has a broader meaning, especially in this time of incredible conflict.”

Fr. George reflects on Luke 16:19-31: “The rich man didn’t hate Lazarus. He didn’t have any feelings about Lazarus. The rich man was just oblivious to Lazarus; he just wasn’t aware. […] Where are the places in our lives where there are people at the gate who we’re oblivious to?”

Luke 15:1-10
“All are welcome.” It’s a sign we have hanging outside the entrance of our church… It so defines what we think St. Paul’s is about… To me, “all are welcome” is the message of the gospel; “all are welcome” is the message of Jesus.

Luke 13:10-17
In my reading and studying, I came across a phrase recently that really struck me: “Christianity is still in its infancy.” You might say to yourself, “what a long infancy! We’ve been around for 2,000 years.” But there’s so much more for us to be able to grow into.

Luke 12:13-21
When you change lanes, you’re supposed to check your blindspot. It’s an area you don’t see. It’s there, but you don’t see it. Hold that thought. […] In all my years of ministry, all the times I’ve met with folks or heard confession, there’s one thing I’ve never heard. I’ve never heard anyone confess this. I’ve never heard anyone come in and talk about this: greed.

Luke 8:26-39
This morning, we’re celebrating baptism… There’s a sentence after the children have been presented where people are asked to renounce things, and one of the questions is “Do you renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God?” and the answer is “I renounce them”… Throughout humanity, we’ve tried to deal with evil and darkness…