Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Matthew 25:31-46
Long ago in a far away country a king grew tired of his court jester and sentenced him to death.  The jester pleaded with the king to give him one year and he’d teach his horse to talk.  The king was amused and because he liked to own unusual things, he [...]

Joshua 3:7-17; Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37; 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13; Matthew 23:1-12
I am Dr. Christina Smerick, Associate Professor of Philosophy and the Shapiro Chair of Jewish-Christian Studies at Greenville College.  Joining me on the dais this morning is Dr. Walter Fenton, Vice President of Advancement.  Here in the congregation we have Dr. Brad Shaw, Dean of the [...]

Exodus 33:12-23; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22

The reality of coming home never quite measures up to the anticipation that precedes the event.  Things inevitably change—whether it is the loss of the glories of old Hogue Hall or the moment of epiphany when we stand across the road from the house we imagined as once [...]

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20; Psalm 19; Philippians 3:4b-14; Matthew 21:33-46
Powerpoint
“Scripture is like a river, both broad and deep, shallow enough here for the lamb to go wading, but deep enough there for the elephant to swim.”
These are the words of Gregory the Great (also known as Pope Gregory the First), and I like his statement [...]

Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16; Philippians 2:1-13; Matthew 21:23-32
It is very kind of Ben to share the privilege of preaching here at St. Paul’s.
But you know, I got to thinking the other day, “Are some people peeking ahead in the lectionary, finding the juicy passages, and then quietly calling Ben to see if they can [...]

Genesis 50:15-21; Psalm 103:8-13; Romans 14:1-12; Matthew 18:21-35
“I looked at the rich, dark brown of the piled earth, and there, hovering over it, was a gorgeous red-and-gold butterfly. Its wings moved delicately and it flew over the coffin and quivered in beauty as it hovered there. Grandfather saw it, too, because he stood still, looking, [...]

Mt. 16:21-28
From time to time I swing by Ben and Michelle’s house to take Caden out for an adventure.  One time I really went all out.  We went to Buchheit’s where we got popcorn to eat, fed some of it to the chickens or whatever they were, tried on a bunch of different hats, tromped [...]

Exodus 1:8-2:10; Psalm 124; Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20
I have a confession to make.  Some of you will be tempted to point a finger and say, “Oh ye of little faith!” and you’d probably be right to do so.  Here it is: I have real trouble believing that God will perform great miracles in front of [...]

Genesis 45:1-15; Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32; Matthew 15:10-28
My dad was recently approached after the Sunday morning service by a high school student who asked if he could interview him for a school project.  My dad was honored, but even more than that, he was excited by the invitation.  Like many pastors, he relishes the opportunity to [...]

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28; Matthew 14:22-33
My life revolves around reading books right now.  I have a big, bad exam coming up in just a couple months, and so my life goes like this – morning – coffee at Adam Bros or Jos – after noon – coffee at the library, and like it [...]

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