Please read Romans 6:1-11. In Romans 5:20 we read, “Where sin is abound, grace is more abound,” that does not mean it’s ok to sin. Being a Christian makes a difference in how we live. With every major life event we are altered. We are changed through relationships, accidents, careers, illness, healing, death of a loved one, finances, and traumas and of course, forging a relationship with Jesus. Have you ever considered that grace is God’s currency. Grace is free and ab

Read Matthew 9:9-12. In the time of Jesus, tax collectors in Jerusalem were Jewish men who worked for the Roman officials. They had the reputation of harassing their fellow Jews, inflating the amounts charged, skimming money off the top, shaking people down, and often requiring them (by force) to pay their taxes more than once. So, what a surprise to hear Jesus’ call to Matthew, in the tax collector booth, “Follow me!” It would be like Jesus recruiting at a prison or alon

Please read Matthew 28:18-20. Trinity Sunday is a day connecting our theology (what we believe) to the community. In these few verses we read that our God is three persons in one, that we are commanded to share the gospel, and that we are never without God. There is no single explanation that will completely satisfy us regarding the Trinity. Why? Because God is a mystery with some certainties. It is hard to describe God because we do not have the capacity to unders

Please read Acts 2:1-21. Pentecost (fifty days after Easter) is the day the Church received the Spirit, a day we are comforted that God provides and sustains us, gifting believers with the Spirit’s fruits. Today we celebrate the Spirit–creating the church. It’s a day we witness a lightbulb moment of mature faith in the lives of the disciples. Peter speaks with confidence, insisting that those within earshot listen to him. The disciples stepped into courageous leadership

An admirer once asked orchestra conductor Leonard Bernstein which instrument was the hardest to play. He quipped, “Second fiddle. He said, “I can always get plenty of first violinists, but to find one who plays second violin with as much enthusiasm is quite a problem.” A posture of humility is something we are expected to embrace. Let us hear what Peter says, turn to 1 Peter 5:5b-11. Paradoxically speaking, Peter is saying, the way up is down. Again, we are addressin

Please read John 14:15-21. Jesus begins the conversation saying, “If you love me, keep my commands.” At first, we might think, if, what do you mean if? Our response is, of course they loved Him and of course we love Jesus! Love is more challenging than we sometimes consider it to be. I encourage you to read 1 Corinthians 13. Love means serving with humility, putting aside our egos, helping unconditionally, and honoring equality in all. Loving Jesus means following in H

Please read John 14:1-14. In this farewell discourse Jesus is exposing glimpses of his future. He is preparing the disciples and in doing so we sense tension. They have just heard that Jesus will be betrayed. And Jesus responds, “Don’t be unnerved, trust me.” Amid the uncertainty they hear Jesus confidently tell them about a secure future. This is a lesson of let go and let God! Jesus begins saying, “Don’t be troubled, a place is prepared for you.” Church, Heaven far exc

Please read Psalm 23 and 1 Peter 2:19-25. Following God as we travel through the mire of life is our charge; we need help. David’s dependency on God sets the tone for how we are to trust in God. When we are baptized, we are called to a new way of life as Christ’s disciples. In baptism, God claims us as his children and members of the church, cleansing us from sin as we renounce the power of evil and seek God’s will and way. We are in a sense, branded; set apart

Please read Luke 24:13-35. Has there ever been something you didn’t understand and figured out later? This encounter on the road to Emmaus focuses on that light bulb moment. As two men walked and talked, digesting the events that took place…they unpacked a lot. This walk-and-talk idea can be helpful to us too. While the dust kicked up and the sun shifted, Jesus came from behind, eventually walking along with them. We know that they were also kept from recognizing him. Wh