Mark shares in his gospel the words of Isaiah encouraging preparation for the coming of the Lord. “‘Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” We often look around and see the…
Advent is a time of waiting and anticipation. We watch and wonder what is next in a time of change in our society. We watch with open eyes for what God has in store for us in the days ahead. There have been multiple ebbs and flows in the celebration of Christmas including a time…
Rev. Lois Hedden points out that parables are stories. Who doesn’t like a good story? Parables are like onions, they have layers. She first of all read a quote from Eugene Peterson: “Parables are narrative time bombs. These are stealthy stories that steal into people’s hearts, confusing them initially, throwing them off balance for a…
Referring to Himself as The Son of Man which is the term used in Daniel chapter seven to describe the Messiah, Jesus asked, “Who Do You Say I Am?” Many writers and Philosophers have attempted to answer this question. A French writer said He was a sentimental idealist. An American businessman said He was the…
With a nod to Paul Harvey and his history of telling “The Rest of the Story” Rev. Lois Hedden begins by sharing some history of the life of Joseph, the favorite son of Jacob/Israel from the book of Genesis. She then moves on to the time when Joseph reveals himself to his brothers who have…
Sharing several examples of doubt experienced by the disciples following the death of Jesus and as they encountered Him in resurrected form, Rev. Gary Kennedy then shares thoughts on trust; themselves as they move forward and of Jesus’ promise to be with theml Jesus told the disciples before His death and now following his resurrection…
It’s Sunday morning. The men who followed Jesus were in hiding. They had been following Jesus for three years. They were involved in exciting and dramatic events as Jesus taught them and trained them. After watching his crucifixion, there were confused and afraid. The women, however, were on their way to the tomb to honor…
From right after His birth, throughout Jesus’ life people plotted to kill Him. No person was successful. The Jews were gathering in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover when God protected the Jews who put blood from the Passover lamb on their doorpost. Every other household that did not have the blood on the doorpost experienced…
In order to understand resurrection and eternal life, we must first understand and acknowledge death and eternal separation from God. Death always comes before resurrection. Jesus, as the Good Shepherd laid down His life in order to have victory over death. The death of Lazarus followed by his resurrection by Jesus, prepares us for the…
Samuel was a prophet and God instructed him to anoint a new king to succeed Saul. God told Samuel not to look at physical appearance but to follow His leading to the person He had already chosen to be king. God looks at the heart, not outward appearance. Samuel anointed David and “the Spirit of…