May 2007
Breath…Wind…Fire…
05/27/07
Day of Pentecost
Acts 2:1-21
Dear friends in Christ,
When the Biblical writers sought a word to describe the presence of God among us, there was one word they all used consistently. The word was Spirit. It is a word that first appears in the second verse of the Bible, Genesis 1 verse 2, “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.” It last appears in the final chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22:17, “The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let him who hears say, “Come.” And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price.” Read More...
Acts 2:1-21
Dear friends in Christ,
When the Biblical writers sought a word to describe the presence of God among us, there was one word they all used consistently. The word was Spirit. It is a word that first appears in the second verse of the Bible, Genesis 1 verse 2, “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.” It last appears in the final chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22:17, “The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let him who hears say, “Come.” And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price.” Read More...
God's Math
05/20/07
Easter 7
John 17:20-26
Dear friends in Christ,
When I was a kid growing up in elementary school, I remember there was lots of talk about the new math. Parents were all talking and there was some conflict around this new way to approach the teaching of math. If I recall correctly the idea was to help us better understand basic math, rather than just have us memorize such things as multiplication tables. So rather than just memorizing 2 X 3 = 6, we might be shown a picture of 2 baseballs, then two more, and two more, 2 baseballs taken 3 times becomes 6 baseballs. Pretty controversial stuff back then for the adults, that new math. Read More...
John 17:20-26
Dear friends in Christ,
When I was a kid growing up in elementary school, I remember there was lots of talk about the new math. Parents were all talking and there was some conflict around this new way to approach the teaching of math. If I recall correctly the idea was to help us better understand basic math, rather than just have us memorize such things as multiplication tables. So rather than just memorizing 2 X 3 = 6, we might be shown a picture of 2 baseballs, then two more, and two more, 2 baseballs taken 3 times becomes 6 baseballs. Pretty controversial stuff back then for the adults, that new math. Read More...
First There was Mary
05/13/07
Mother’s Day
Luke 1:26-38
Dear friends in Christ,
This morning is Mother’s Day. It is a holiday with no official standing in the church, although it did begin in a church. In the U.S., in 1908 Ana Jarvis, from Grafton, West Virginia, began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. Jarvis persuaded her mother's church in Grafton to celebrate Mother's Day on the anniversary of her mother's death. A memorial service was held there on May 10, 1908 and in Philadelphia the following year where Jarvis moved. Jarvis and others began a letter-writing campaign to ministers, businessmen, and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mother's Day. They were successful. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day a national observance that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May. Read More...
Luke 1:26-38
Dear friends in Christ,
This morning is Mother’s Day. It is a holiday with no official standing in the church, although it did begin in a church. In the U.S., in 1908 Ana Jarvis, from Grafton, West Virginia, began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. Jarvis persuaded her mother's church in Grafton to celebrate Mother's Day on the anniversary of her mother's death. A memorial service was held there on May 10, 1908 and in Philadelphia the following year where Jarvis moved. Jarvis and others began a letter-writing campaign to ministers, businessmen, and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mother's Day. They were successful. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day a national observance that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May. Read More...