March 20, 2016 Luke 19: 28-40 Rev. Catherine Purves We have all celebrated a lot of Palm Sundays. If we could put together all of the palm branches that we have waved over the years, we would each have our own palm tree! We have heard the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem so many times. What we may not have particularly noticed over the years is that the story varies somewhat…
March 13, 2016 John 12:1-8 Rebecca DePoe What did you give up for Lent? I suspect that you’ve heard that question a lot in the last couple weeks. We are, after all, beginning our fifth week of Lent today. Lent is a time set aside to prepare for Easter. For some of us, we prepare for Easter by removing the things in our lives that inhibit us from spending time in prayer and Scripture. Things…
March 6, 2016 2 Corinthians 5: 16-21 Luke 15: 1-3, 11b-32 Rev. Catherine Purves “From now on,” Paul writes in his second letter to the Corinthian church, “From now on…we regard no one from a human point of view.” Your point of view matters. In fact, your point of view changes everything. Your point of view is what enables you to make sense of the world and your place in the world. In…
February 28, 2016 Psalm 63: 1-8 Isaiah 55: 1-9 Rev. Catherine Purves If you walk down the narrow, often cobbled streets of the old city in Jerusalem, as I did when I was in Israel several years ago, you will be flanked on either side by boisterous vendors who are eager for you to buy their wares. In the little makeshift stalls and shops of these enthusiastic entrepreneurs, you will see silk scarves,…
A Song of Confidence February 21, 2016 Psalm 27 Psalm 27 is a psalm of confidence. Since the psalms are actually songs, this is a song of confidence. I was thinking about songs of confidence and I remembered a little tune from the musical, The King and I. If you’ve ever seen the play or the movie, I’m sure you’ll remember this song. It’s called, “I Whistle a Happy Tune.” This is how…