A pastor friend of mine recently posted this status on Facebook: “‘Just follow my rules and behave, and nothing bad will happen to you,’ is the exact opposite of the message of Christ.” It reminded me that the version of the Christian message I was
Garden of Grace United Church of Christ, Columbia, S.C. Readings: 18th Sunday after Pentecost (Year A): Philippians 2:1-13 16th Sunday after Pentecost (Year B): Mark 8:27-38 Our song this morning comes from a country music legend named Tom T. Hall. Born in 1936 in Oak
A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But (Jesus) was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and (the disciples) woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:21-23 KJV) Salvation through the Lord’s mercy It seems
First Congregational United Church of Christ, Tucson, Ariz. This is how much God loved the world: [God] gave [God’s] Son, [God’s] one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole
‘Whosoever shall believe’ Over the last several months I have been writing to a person who is extremely knowledgeable in the Bible. I suspect that he may have graduated from a seminary at one time. This person once was a transsexual in transition, and he