6/3/2018
Pentecost 2, Year B, Proper 4
In Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the people of Israel what laws God had given them. One law was to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. Over the years this morphed into a collection of rules that governed what could or could not be done on the Sabbath Day.
I remember visiting my aunt and uncle in Florida. They were Methodists – strict Methodists.
5/20/2018
Pentecost Day
I like order. I like systems; schedules; and spreadsheets with embedded formulas. I like planning meetings; things written down in one place with notations of action items that are due. I try to loosen up, but I can’t. I like to be prepared for what is going to happen, and for what might happen. I need to know I have done all that I can to be prepared for any surprises, and maybe even avoid them. The problem with my problem – is that I have learned life is full of surprises.
5/13/2018
Seventh Sunday of Easter
Reverend Ardyss reflects on this being Mothers’ Day, in the context of Mary, the mother of Jesus giving him life, nurturing him in his youth, and supporting him in his ministry.
5/6/2018
Sixth Sunday of Easter
The way we ACT in life should be defined by our relationship of love with Jesus and with God the Father. Priest and author Barbara Brown Taylor has written, “God expects us to step up… Knowing God’s Word is no substitute for doing it.”
4/29/2018
Fifth Sunday of Easter
When I was a teenage boy, I was active in Boy Scouts. I loved it. I loved camping out, I loved learning how to read maps and to follow marked trails. I loved wearing my scout uniform, and I loved earning merit badges. I looked forward to every summer, when I knew that my parents would let me leave the family business for a week, and go off to scout camp: Camp Portaferry in the Adirondack Mountains in NNY.
4/22/2018
Fourth Sunday of Easter
In the late 1960’s someone published a collection of wisdom sayings common to American mothers. Some of those sayings sound very familiar to me; “OK, you can go to Randy’s house, but don’t overstay your welcome.” “Just because somebody jumps off a bridge, does that mean that you jump, too?” And the one I remember the most, “Don’t make me call your father.” Can you hear your mother’s voice there?
4/15/2018
Third Sunday of Easter
The Scripture lessons today describe more than one transformation that began with the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus proved that his resurrection was no illusion; his appearance was not in some ghostly form; he was physically present and alive. But John’s account of this meeting tells us that while Jesus proved his physical presence to Thomas and the others, he got into the room through locked doors!
4/8/2018
Second Sunday of Easter
Reverend Ardyss preached on our Lord’s lesson for doubting Thomas. Now that we have seen the Lord, it’s time to share Him with others.
4/1/2018
Easter Sunday
We have moved through the solemn forty days of Lent, and arrived at this date that is celebrated by 2.4 billion Christians around the world. We celebrate the resurrection from the dead of our Lord Jesus Christ.
3/25/2018
Palm Sunday
Today we begin a week closely following Jesus’ welcome as king into the city of Jerusalem; the last meetings with his disciples; his giving final instructions and teachings; the betrayals and abandonment; tears, false accusations, humiliation, agony, execution and burial.