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WHAT WE CELEBRATE TODAY In his journal entry for August 6, 1755, John Wesley, a minister of the Church of England and the founder of the Methodist movement, wrote: I mentioned to the congregation another means of increasing serious religion, which has been frequently practiced by our forefathers and attended with eminent blessing; namely, the […]

Isaiah 42:1-9;  Matthew 3:13-17   For two thousand years, Jesus’s baptism has intrigued and even confounded theologians, preachers, and congregations. “How come the son of God must be baptized?” *** I’m sure you recall this extraordinary event in Jesus’s life. Matthew tells us that one day a young man named John, who happened to be

Luke 2: 41-52;  1 Corinthians 1:16-31 A few days ago, I watched Sound of Freedom, a disturbing movie based on real events. This movie tells the tragic story of children literally snatched from their homes in Latin American countries to be sold to pedophile consumers here in our own country and all over the world

Isaiah 60:1-6;   Matthew 2:1-12 For millions of children around the world –including a fairly good number of Hispanic kids in the U.S. — yesterday, January 6, was one of the most expected and exciting days of the year. As exciting as their own birthdays and Christmas. And do you know why? Because it was the

Luke 2: 8-15 Travis Tritt, a country music songwriter and singer who became famous in the late 80’s, before being successful spent years playing in small out-of-the-way bars and taverns in Geogia. Dangerous places, as you may expect. Travis’s fans in those years were mostly drunks who had a hard time controlling their tempers. Thus,

Luke 2:1-7 When I tell and retell the most important stories of my life, there are a few details that I can’t leave out even if I try to. I call them “details,” for they never carried any significant weight on those stories — in other words, the stories I am retelling would have ended

Luke 1:26-38 A little boy and his little sister were singing “Silent Night” in church the Sunday before Christmas. The boy concluded with the words, “sleep in heavenly beans.” His sister elbowed him, and said, “No. Not beans, peas!” The way most of us feel by the time we are ready for Christmas, “Silent Night”

One of the most fascinating plays I ever read is Waiting for Godot, by the Irish playwriter Samuel Beckett. Published in 1948, the year I was born, this play basically argues that humanity is waiting for “Godot,” a Messiah-like reality that could fix everything that went wrong, yet Godot never shows up. The three characters

Luke 2:41-52 I’ll never forget a Supermom in one of my congregations –a very young woman already with four kids and running our Sunday School. She was perfection itself –she did everything right. Kept a perfect home, kept her husband happy, and always had the latest Upper Room issue on the coffee table. That afternoon

1 Samuel 7:7-12;   Luke 12:22-28   Although they never made the news, I’d like to begin with Peter and John, two farmers who were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull. So, they started to run toward the nearest fence –the beast chasing after them like a demon. Terrified, Peter