John 12:1-8
The season of Lent is a time of Christian reflection set aside for prayer, fasting, and giving. When we as a church participate in the season of Lent, however, the primary goal is not necessarily to spend as much time as possible kneeling or on our faces prostrate…
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
Today’s Gospel lesson is perhaps one of the most famous stories in all of scripture, certainly in the New Testament. Along with the story of the Good Samaritan, this parable of the Prodigal Son, as we now often call it, certainly represents one of Jesus’ most familiar teachings…
Exodus 3:1-15
It was just a little over 30 years ago that I had an opportunity to take a trip to the Middle East. The group that I was with, I remember this vividly, flying out of New York to Amman, Jordan…
Deut 26:1-11, Luke 4:1-13
At first glance, in this lesson from Deuteronomy, there is a powerful image of the land that God has designated for the people of God…
Good evening. It’s good to see you all here as we come to the end of a day and the beginning of the wondrous season, the season of Lent. I would bet you that you’ve never started the season of Lent with a banner that says JOY – brightly colored. I want to put that a little bit in context…
Luke 9:28-36
In the Gospel reading today, Peter, John, and James went with Jesus up on the mountain to pray. I’ll bet they didn’t know what they were getting into. Maybe they would have rather stayed home, or maybe they were looking forward to an adventure with Jesus…
There was a book that I had to read for a course that I was taking in college (I was majoring in sociology) back in 1973. The book was called The Denial of Death. It was written by Ernest Becker who was a cultural anthropologist. The idea of the book was this: one of the things we find difficult to accept is death…
Good Morning. My name is Julia Rudy and my husband, Brian, and I are going to share with you what makes St. Paul’s such a joyful place for us. St. Paul’s has been a special place to our family even before we started attending church here a few short years ago…
John 2:1-11
As a hospital chaplain I have heard many stories over the years, some very sad and some inspiring. I’d like to share a story with you today that I believe is a blend of both. I first met Ann (which is not her real name) about a year ago at Rex Nursing and Rehab Facility in Apex…
The church is in decline. Attendance is decreasing. Membership is decreasing. Financial support of the church is decreasing. That’s what a lot of reports are saying about the church today, particularly in the United States. A lot of studies and reports are being done. And those statistics, in many ways, are real…