Genesis 24:10-21; Matthew 9:35-38 As soon as I graduated as a schoolteacher, I got a phone call from a high school sponsored by the YMCA in Buenos Aires – to teach Social Studies and Ethics. I was barely 19 years old, and in those days, believe me, I was the shyest of all the kids …
Ephesians 3:14-19; Matthew 5:13-16 Something fascinating about the English language, in my opinion, is what we identify as slang, a very peculiar type of language within the language that consists of words and phrases that are regarded as very informal. Now, English slang is not the only slang in the world, it’s a universal phenomenon …
Exodus 3:7-14; Matthew 16:13-20 One Sunday morning after a lively, rousing service in a city church, a woman walked out of her church and bumped into a lost-looking man who was standing on the sidewalk. His eyes were fixed on the cross on top of the church steeple. The lady became very excited about the …
Philippians 4:1-7; John 16:28-33 Let me begin with a story about a man who was a tremendous worrier? He worried too much, and about everything. Even worse, he was worrisome — he worried other people with his worry. He couldn’t sleep at night because he worried so much. Well, one day he came out of …
Romans 12:1-8; John 15:1-6; 16-17 During experiments aboard the shuttle “Columbia” almost 30 years ago, scientists discovered that there are twenty-six lakes underneath the Sahara Desert. It breaks my heart to think of the people who are starving and dying of thirst in that region of the planet because these hidden resources have not yet …
2 Corinthians 9:6-15; Matthew 22:34-40 Did I ever tell you how much I love soccer? Such a love –rather passion—for soccer goes all the way to my toddler days, when my mother was pregnant with my little brother. Her belly was so huge, I naturally assumed something more than my brother was there, in my …
Galatians 5:16-25; Mark 13:32-37 One of my favorite scriptures is in the 5th chapter of the letter that Paul sent to the emerging congregations in Galatia, in what today is central Turkey. This scripture talks about “the fruits of the Spirit.” Paul loves to make lists, and here he mentions nine “fruits of the Spirit” …
Genesis 25:19-28; John 14:12-14 This morning I’d like to return to one of my favorite Bible stories, the one about a very dysfunctional family we introduced a few weeks ago. I’m sure you remember Isaac and Rebekah, and their children Jacob and Esau – a family that despite their flaws and limitations played a …
Ephesians 2:10; Mark 10:13-16 Today our 2023 Vacation Bible School comes to an end, and we can say with a mix of relief and excitement “WOW! What a marvelous, intense, revealing days God has gifted to all of us! – children, church folks, families!” Inspired by a very warm, welcoming Jesus, together we explored …
1 Corinthians 1:10-17; John 15:12-17 Have you ever experienced “cultural shock”? I have! I’ll never forget waking into an American supermarket for the very first time – humongous, and with so many options! The milk aisle, for instance — skim, 1%, 2%, 4%, half-and-half, whole, lactose free, calcium enriched, powder milk, soy milk, …