August 2019 – Wicomico Presbyterian Church

Pillars of Faith, Part 3: Faith Facing Opposition

Luke 13:10-17 Alice Hoffman wrote a story called Seventh Heaven. It’s about a suburban community in Long Island, near Levittown. It’s the kind of community that popped up all over America after World War II, like Levittown. Tract homes, affordable for first-time homeowners. Streets that never go straight, but change directions, winding around in loops to make sure you won’t drive too fast, but also ensuring you will get lost. Sidewalks everywhere for strollers and tricycles, to keep the kids safe. All the houses look alike, so newcomers driving into the neighborhood get confused about where they are. Neighbors can walk into each other’s homes and know just where everything is, because it is exactly the same as their own house. The story takes place at the end of 1959 and the beginning of 1960, a time when the world is on the verge of change. And the people […]

Pillars of Faith, Part 2: Faith Sees

Hebrews 11:29-12:2 Luke 12:49-56 In the well-known story by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince falls from his far away planet in the sky down to earth. He wanders the earth in search of meaning, and in his wanderings, he encounters a fox. There’s something charismatic about this fox that draws the prince in. He wants to play with him. But the fox tells the prince to be careful, to not get too close. “I’m not tame,” he says. We could say the same thing about Jesus in this passage from Luke. Don’t play with him. He’s not tame. He wants to bring a fire to the earth. He will divide households, three against two, and two against three; father against son, and son against father. He speaks with anger and impatience as though he wants to get out of this place and go back to the planet from which he […]

Pillars of Faith, Part 1: Faith Acts

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 I don’t usually go in to the church on Fridays, but last Friday I was there to meet a couple named Billy and Liz McCullough. Billy and Liz are from Northern Ireland and they are visiting the area indulging Billy’s special interest: Francis Makemie. That’s a name that is very familiar in our region ofthe world. Francis Makemie is known as the founder of several churches on the Delmarva Peninsula, including ours. We all claim our founding date in 1683, because that is the year Francis Makemie arrived on our shores. He was invited to come here by Colonel William Stevens, who was an Episcopalian living in Somerset County. Makemie was apparently a good organizer, because he traveled among the Scots-Irish communities, who were all Presbyterian, and helped them organize into congregations. Later, he helped organize the first presbytery in America in Philadelphia. He was also, I’m guessing, […]

What the Lord Requires, Part 4: To Look Beyond Ourselves

Luke 12:13-21 I have to wonder what Kenneth Copeland does with this particular passage of scripture. If you don’t know who Kenneth Copeland is, he is a televangelist. He was interviewed recently by a journalist who wanted him to explain why he needs a Gulfstream Jet. This jet he was able to purchase recently thanks to the generous donations of his followers. He needed it, apparently, because two airplanes was not sufficient. It might seem like enough to you and me, but God wanted him to have this third one, this Gulfstream, he told his congregation and he stressed to all his followers on television and online. God wanted him to have it and God wanted them to give him money so he could have it. This reporter asked him to explain why this was so important. He told her he needs it because he simply couldn’t do the work […]