John14:23-29 Revelation 21:10; 21:22-22:5 There is a question that is often in my mind – a question that I spend much time mulling over and wondering about: What is the place of the church in this nation? We have a long history of understanding our nation to be one that separates religion from government, for the purpose of ensuring freedom of religion for all people. It has, generally speaking, served us quite well. And we have a unique point of view on this matter, because of our history. Wicomico Presbyterian was first established in 1672, and that was well before we were a nation, well before we had a constitution that established freedom of religion. In 1672, when this was a colony ruled by the king of England, we were granted permission to gather at the Wicomico River for Presbyterian worship. And so we did, and Wicomico Presbyterian Church has been […]

John 13:31-35 Revelation 21:1-6 One of my great privileges as a pastor is to walk with those who are making the final leg of their journey on this earth. A sacred journey. And, while there are plenty of things to dislike about a long, drawn-out death, there are sometimes gifts in that process. I will never forget being in a hospice room with a man who was dying, while he was experiencing a vision. He was able to describe it to us; in the moment it was happening. He said, “There is a white picket fence. And there are people on the other side of the fence. There is a church there, too. And the people are talking to me.” He was experiencing a glorious vision, and he very much wanted us to see it too. His description of it was extraordinary, although I have no doubt that it could […]

John 10:22-30 Revelation 7:9-17 Last week at the Vatican the Roman Catholic Church selected a new pope to succeed Francis. This one took the name Leo. The name chosen by a new pope says something about how he might want to frame his ministry. The last Leo was Pope Leo XIII, who sat on the papal throne from 1878 to 1903. Leo XIII is known as the father of Catholic Social Teaching, a doctrine of the church that concerns itself with the common good in society and basic human dignity. It’s worth taking a minute to look at these teachings. It begins with prioritizing the common good. It affirms that every human being is made in the image of God and therefore has worth and dignity. It teaches that we all have the right and responsibility to work together in society for the common good – caring for others and […]

Acts 9:1-6 John 21:1-19 If you have ever experienced a point in life that felt like an ending, then you know something about how the disciples felt in these post-resurrection days. They are trying to figure out how to begin again. Because they have been following Jesus a few years now, continuously. They walked away from the lives they had before and began something new. It was a jarring, abrupt experience for all of them. Peter, James, and John walked away from their boats, their nets, the catch of fish waiting to be sold; their families, their community. Jesus said to them, “Follow me,” and that was that. Matthew walked away from his booth, leaving his business behind – accounts receivable, accounts payable, and so on. Jesus said to him, “Follow me,” and that was that. Philip, Nathanael, Andrew – in every case it was the same: Jesus said, “Follow […]

Luke 24:1-12 It is almost always the same. When I attend a funeral as a mourner or lead a funeral as a pastor, I hear all the things people say about the one who has died. They tell stories about how this person changed their lives. They speak about the qualities of this person with emotion – wonder, pride. There is always some humor mixed in with it all, because how can there not be when you are speaking about love? I love listening to the stories, whether it is someone I knew well or very little, at some point I find myself feeling a kind of holy amazement and inspiration. I walk away from there thinking, “What a wonderful life! And then I think, “Goodness gracious – what the heck have I been doing with one precious wonderful life?” When someone dies, there is always grief. But there is […]

Luke 19:29-40 For over five weeks we have been traveling with Jesus toward Jerusalem. Now we are, finally, almost there. We can feel the excitement of this glorious day, there is momentum! But they pause, unexpectedly, near Bethany and Bethphage. There are a few final details to take care of. Jesus turns to two of his disciples: “Go ahead into the village. You will find a colt tied up. Untie it and bring it here.” And here we might wonder a few things, including: Is this really okay? That they should just go in and take a colt that belongs to someone else? Might someone object to this? Yes, actually, Jesus anticipates this, for he also tells them, “If anyone asks you what you are doing just tell them this: ‘the Lord needs it.’” So they went in and they found the colt. They untied it and, sure enough, someone […]

Luke 19:1-10 As we continue through the Gospel of Luke, the story of Zacchaeus gives us another opportunity to see how Jesus interacts with those individuals who are lumped into the large category of “sinners.” Individuals who get a surprising amount of facetime with Jesus. Again and again, we are told of Jesus sitting at table with sinners and tax collectors, teaching them, and even calling them to be his disciples. While we are never told exactly who these sinners are, we do know something about the tax collectors. These men worked for the occupying government. Rome hired Jews who were willing to do this job, as hated as it was by the people. The system was set up for money to flow upward. The local tax collector would demand payments that would allow them to cover their own expenses, and it seems as though it was up to them […]

Luke 15:1-7 When my children were young and we had a full house, I felt like I was always counting. If we went out together, literally counting heads to make sure everyone was there, no one was lost. At home, whether cooking, doing laundry, reading a book, or watching TV, I would at random moments make a count in my head. One is upstairs in her room, one is sitting at the computer, one is right here with me, and one is at the neighbor’s house. So, I understand the sheep owner, counting his sheep. You won’t just naturally notice that one out of 100 is missing. You would have to count. When my children were young I also had the horrible experience of losing one of them. In the mall, to my recollection. More than once. So many things to look at, so many places to hide or wander […]

Luke 13:6-9 When I was installed as pastor at Wicomico Presbyterian Church I received a gift from the Korean congregation next door. They sent me a beautiful orchid plant, which I received with awe and a bit of trepidation. My past experience with orchids had not been that successful. But everyone kept telling me they were pretty simple. Find a good spot for it – light but not too much direct sunlight – and feed it three ice cubes a week. So I did. And after a time the blossoms all fell off, as they do. But it looked healthy otherwise, and I kept feeding it three ice cubes every Sunday, without fail. And waited for it to bloom again. I waited five years. 260 Sundays. 780 ice cubes. Which is longer than this vineyard owner did. This man apparently planted the tree expecting results. He wanted this tree to […]

Luke 10:38-42 I once served a church that had a board of deacons made up entirely of women. It had been like that for a long time. And so the first year I worked with the nominating committee I strongly encouraged them to consider some men who might be called to serve as a deacon. Not too long after that I got a visit to my office from Doreen, the moderator of the Deacons. She was in a fit. She said, “I heard you all nominated Ty for deacon. Just tell me: what am I supposed to do with him? He can’t bake!” I tried to argue that there was really much more to the ministry of the deacons than baking cookies, but Doreen was still doubtful. “Well, besides,” I said, “How do you know he can’t bake?” I had no idea at all if Ty could bake a batch […]