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Scharf: The good power of God
Last month, my congregation (Abiding Grace) celebrated our 10th anniversary. And there is plenty to celebrate. In 10 years, we've grown in people, in facilities, in opportunities to serve our community and spread the word around the world - in so many different ways. Things are rocking at Abiding Grace. So, looking at that, we must be doing something right, right?
Just a Thought
We spend billions of dollars as a nation every year on physical health and fitness.
The power of a name
Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. "Dear woman, why are you crying?" the angels asked her. "Because they have taken away my Lord," she replied, "And I don't know where they have put him." She turned to leave ...
From tears to triumph
I'll admit it. I am a big college basketball fan, which means I'm loving life right here in the middle of March Madness.
McCoy: A plan and a purpose
At that hour, Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day, I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.
Scharf: Death, on purpose
Today is Good Friday. The name seems like a misnomer when you consider that it marks the day of an execution - three in fact.
Just a thought: Control your tongue
Oh, my aching tongue! You may never say that unless you bite your tongue. And while biting your tongue is painful and most of us avoid doing it as often as possible, it may be a something we should practice on a much more regular schedule.
A powerful Easter journey
I look at the calendar and realize tomorrow is already Easter4Kids. Let me explain. That's an event Abiding Grace has been putting on for years now, a free event for all the 3 to 10 year olds in our community. It's a day to celebrate the real meaning of Easter. (You still have time to register your children at e4k.abidinggrace.com, but I digress). But here's the thing. It always takes place the day before Holy Week starts.
The things we must do
As the time approached when Jesus was to be taken up into heaven, he determined to go to Jerusalem.
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About Faith: The Christmas paradox
Christmas is a time when we celebrate the paradoxical story of God becoming a human being. It is a story which upends most of the world's history of approaching God. While other religions usually attempt to span that unfathomable gap between God and humanity by human effort, Christianity claims that God solved the problem by becoming one of us.
Grace Notes: See Christ the King
The section of God's Word we're looking at today is Luke 23:35-43. It's the story of Christ on the cross. That might seem like an odd section of Scripture to be looking at at this time of the year, but it's chosen because here at the end of the church year, we have this Sunday called "Christ the King" Sunday. And this text with Jesus on the cross is all about Christ being our King.
About Faith: Favorite things
There's a scene in the movie version of "The Sound of Music" when Sister Maria (Julie Andrews) led the Von Trapp kids in singing "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things." There were no iPods or Wii's to chase away their fright that stormy night. Instead, they dreamed of snowflakes on their eyelashes, and warm woolen mittens.
Grace Notes - Give thanks
A few years ago Garth Brooks released a song thanking God for unanswered prayers. The gist of the song was that he was thankful that he didn't always get what he asked for because that meant God had something better in store for him.
About Faith - Wake up!
For those who do not follow the liturgical Christian year, it may seem strange to think of this Sunday as the beginning of a new year. The notion that a new year is upon us may not seem right when leftover Thanksgiving turkey is still in the fridge. But for those attuned to such things, this Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is relevant not only to those who celebrate Christmas ...
Little things matter most
This is an opportune time of year to take stock of our blessings. Actually, every day should be a time of thanksgiving, but it seems we are too busy being too busy to appreciate just how blessed we are. Maybe -just maybe - we tend to look at our world upside down. The things that we think are important may not as critical as we imagine. Those things that seem trivial ...
About Faith: Alka-Seltzer and other Thanksgiving Traditions
Thanksgiving, for all its joy and stress, is a time of tradition. Every family I know can name five or six traditions they follow every year without fail. Some have little to do with the official day of giving thanks declared by Abraham Lincoln, but they have everything to do with forming memories that give us a sense of family and community.
About Faith: Going All In
In high-stakes poker, there usually comes a time when one player has an advantage over the others and declares, "All in," meaning he is betting everything he has. This forces other players to put up their fortunes, or fold.
Grace Notes: You’ve Been Marked
War leaves a mark. Yesterday, on Veterans Day, we honored those who have that mark from physical war. But even more serious is the ultimate battle we are all in, a spiritual battle against sin. And on this Sunday in the Church Year (Last Judgment Sunday) we talk about its end.
Grace Notes: To seek and to save the lost
Who do you love? Who are you willing to go out of your way for, to sacrifice for, the people from whom you want to hear the honest answer to "How are you?" Chances are the number of people on that list is pretty slim. Usually, we love (really love) the people who love us, or who are good to us, or who do something for us. God has a different ...
Grace Notes: Trick or Treat
"Trick or Treat." Are you ready to hear it? Chances are, you'll hear it a few times this weekend. This is the one time a year that when someone asks a child, "What do you say?" the correct answer is not "Please" or "Thank you!"
About Faith: Greed: an engine or a fire?
In 1987, the movie "Wall Street" debuted, bringing American avarice to the front of our collective consciousness.
Grace Notes: Let faith decide
Why do you do what you do? Has it ever happened where you do something even though every rational thought and logical sense would tell you not to? Maybe you give the person a second chance. Maybe you do without so that someone else doesn't have to. Why do yo do those things that don't really seem to benefit you in any way?
About Faith: Pride and humility
Near the end of the 19th century, renowned physicist Henry Augustus Rowland was once called as an expert witness at a trial. During cross-examination a lawyer demanded, "What are your qualifications as an expert witness in this case?" Rowland answered, "I am the greatest living expert on the subject under discussion." Later, when a friend expressed surprise at the professor's answer, Rowland replied, "Well, what did you expect me to do? I was ...
About Faith: Speaking With Authority
Many people have observed an epidemic sweeping across the American landscape.
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