Retired Pastor David Nelson said that after a few week’s worth of Mark’s ‘conflict’ Gospels (they’ll be back later in the year), we now have wonderful little stories. Today’s story is about the mustard seed. The smallest of small seeds. In Jesus’s time, no one planted mustard seeds! They didn’t have any hot dogs and…
Mark 3:20-35 tells the story of how a house divided cannot stand. Pastor David Nelson pointed out how Mark uses conflict in his gospels and even more so in today’s gospel. Jesus is in conflict with his family and the scribes who have come to question him. His family, Mary and her other children, show…
On this second Sunday of Pentecost, our Gospel of Mark (2:23-3:6) continues with a theme of conflict. The laws of the Sabbath were examined when the Pharisees questioned Jesus about his disciples plucking grain to eat, and Jesus healing a man’s withered hand, both on the Sabbath. Jesus defends the laws of Sabbath in its…
On this Trinity Sunday, Retired Pastor David I. Nelson reminded us that God is all about relationship. The Three-in-One is just as easily the One-in-Three. As we pray to God as Jesus did, the Spirit prays within us, creating between us and God the same relationship Jesus has with God. God is intimacy, community, plurality,…
Today we celebrated the Spirit, through whom and in whom the people of God are created and re-created. The Holy Spirit is everywhere infused in us. After Jesus’s resurrection, he told his disciples that he would see them down the road in Galilee. Pastor Eric sang a new song that he wrote: “I’ll see you…
Today we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. Pastor Beth pointed out that the disciples rejoiced but then must have had a time of ‘Now what?’. A time of sorrow, grief, loss, and uncertainty. Two people, dressed in white, appeared to them and asked them why they were looking up at heaven since there…
On Sunday, May 6th, we celebrated the Affirmation of Baptism and Rite of Confirmation for our students Adam and Alex. These young men were baptized and grew up in the church, participated in Confirmation classes with Pastor Beth and Dan B., were presented by their families, and affirmed their faith as loved and forgiven children…
The dictionary definition of the word “abide” includes, “to accept or act in accordance with; to follow, keep, hold or stand by; to respect”. Does this sound like your relationship with Jesus? In today’s Gospel (John 15:1-8), the image of the vine and the branches is used to illustrate how Christ and we are alive…
In the spirit of Christ, Pastor Eric chose several “C” words to describe the voice of Jesus…each providing us with things we need: Captain (assurance), Coach (instructing), Critic (assessing) and Choir (inspiration). We are given Courage and Certainty, Care and wise Counsel. When we take the time to listen, we know Jesus is calling us. Hearing…
The gospel for the third Sunday of Easter is always one in which the risen Christ shares food with the disciples, meals that are the Easter template for the meal we share each Lord’s day. Jesus both shares the disciples food and shows them the meaning of his suffering, death, and resurrection through the scriptures:…