Reading: Romans 8: 1-11 Verse 1: “There is now no condemnation… because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death”. Once a person accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, life is forever changed. Before accepting Jesus we are tied to the flesh, to the sinful nature within us. Without Christ we live for ourselves, seeking to fulfill selfish desires and pleasures. Our focus is totally inward. The law of sin and death has almost

Reading: Genesis 22: 1-14 Verse 8: “Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering'”. Our passage from Genesis 22 is one of those stories of faith that we read and wonder if we could do what that Biblical hero did. For me, this passage is right up there with David facing Goliath, Daniel facing the lions’ den, Esther facing the king, and Peter taking that step out onto the water. When our faith feels strong, these are actions we too could take for

Reading: Romans 6: 1b-11 Verse 6: “We know that our old self was crucified with him so that… we should no longer be slaves to sin”. At the end of chapter five Paul writes about Adam’s sin bringing death to the world and Christ’s death bringing new life to humanity. Through Christ’s death, through his act of obedience, grace and righteousness now reign. The power of sin and death were defeated. Establishing these truths, Paul goes on to ask a question to begin chapter six. It

Reading: Psalm 100 Verse 5: “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever”. Today’s Psalm of praise is one that can be used to give thanks to the Lord for who God is. It could have been sung during the procession to worship or in the worship itself. The psalmist calls for worshiping God with gladness and with joyful songs. There is an exuberance in these words that one can feel. This close connection to God is built upon the words of verse three: “we are his people, the

Reading: Matthew 28: 16-20 Verse 17: “When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted”. At the very end of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus gathers with his disciples for the last time. Once they see the risen Christ the disciples worship him. In this gospel only the women who came to the tomb have seen the resurrected Jesus. If we only had this gospel it would seem a big leap from seeing Jesus die to receiving these instructions that we read today. Fortunately in Luke’s gospe

Reading: Acts 2: 14-18 Verse 17: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my spirit on all people”. For the followers of Jesus Christ, the giving of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost was a game changer. After his death and resurrection Jesus appeared for forty days as he continued to teach. Those that had orchestrated Jesus’ death felt pretty good about the outcome. There were some rumors of resurrection and appearing again, but all seems quiet now. The followers themselves ar

Reading: Psalm 47 Verses 1-2: “Shout to God with cries of joy. How awesome is the Lord most high”. In many churches today is known as Ascension Sunday. It is the Sunday after Christ’s ascension into heaven forty days after Easter. The response of those present as Christ ascended mirrors the call of the psalmist in today’s reading. In the opening verses we are called to “Shout to God with cries of joy. How awesome is the Lord most high”. To lift our hands, to shout out our joy

Reading: Acts 1: 6-14 Verse 8: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you”. Now that Jesus has completed his earthly ministry, maybe now is the time that the mighty, kingly Jesus will appear to restore Israel to its glory. The disciples ask if the time is now. Jesus plainly tells them that it is “not for you to know” when Jesus will return in glory. It will not be as a great warrior in the way they are imagining. Instead of worrying about the future, Jesus focu

Reading: 1 Peter 3: 13-22 Verse 14: “But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed”. I believe that each of us are created in the image of God and that all people are woven together by the Creator. Because of this, I believe we each have a spark or a piece of the divine within us. If you watch young children you can see this. There is a pure love in children that reveals the divine within. It shows in the inherent kindness that children naturally display. T