For some reason, this passage has always amused me.  Jesus floats away like a balloon and his disciples stare as he disappears behind a cloud.  I picture them gazing into the clouds with their mouths hanging open, catching flies. Suddenly two “men in white robes” appear and ask an obvious question, “Why do you […]

This Sunday, we focus on a well-known and often used passage from the Apostle Paul’s Letter to the Romans.  Paul begins his 5th chapter with a lot of talk about boasting. Strange choice of words, I think. We usually think of boasting as a first cousin to “pride,” which is listed by the early church […]

The Psalmist is in trouble. He’s crying out to help without hesitation or pride. He’s not saying, “I got this.” or “No worries, be happy.” He doesn’t clutch his Bible and confidently say, “Everything happens for a reason.” He’s worried. Worried!? He’s quaking in his boots; scared out of his pants! He’s afraid of those […]

We are in the midst of a dark valley, at least  we think we are in the midst of it.  Only God knows.  We pray we’re at the midway point or beyond, but we don’t know. Parts of our country are “opening up,” in various ways and to mixed reviews.  Evidently in some areas,restaurants, bars, […]

I receive my mail at a post office box in Manchaca. It was close to my previous church and handy as I went back and forth between home and work. And it was easier to keep all of that in place after I retired. I went by the post office last week to pick up […]

It was a week after Easter, and the disciples of Jesus were awed, overjoyed, and blown away with the fact that they had seen their risen master. Almost giddy, they descended upon Thomas and told him what they had seen. Judas was gone, so that left 10 of them. Talk about peer pressure! “We have seen the Lord!” they […]

Happy Easter! In today’s sermon Pastor Jim examines Matthew’s account of the resurrection. Matthew is the only Gospel writer that mentions the earthquake. He describes it as violent. It was dark, just barely dawn, when women went to the tomb. Matthew calls them “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary.” The earthquake was caused by a descending […]

  Today Pastor Jim continues the Searching for God sermon series by taking a closer look at Matthew 21:1-11.  All four Gospels mention Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem during the Hebrew Passover. Matthew tells the story with a twist. In Matthew Jesus sends his disciples into Bethphage to pick up two animals: a female, or “Jenny,” and her colt, […]

Today we will think together about the time Jesus healed the man born blind. He actually spit on the ground and made a mud pack for the man’s eyes! As we think about this time in our lives, the inability to “see” is an apt metaphor for where we are. We can’t see the future. We don’t […]