Scripture: John 17:25-26 [Jesus said,] “Righteous Father, even the world didn’t know you, but I’ve known you, and these believers know that you sent me. I’ve made your name known to them and will continue to make it known so that your love for me will be in them, and I myself will be in them.” Thought for the Day: Jesus is praying, and in his conversation with
Scripture: Ephesians 4:14-16 As a result, we aren’t supposed to be infants any longer who can be tossed and blown around by every wind that comes from teaching with deceitful scheming and the tricks people play to deliberately mislead others. Instead, by speaking the truth with love, let’s grow in every way into Christ, who is the head. The whole body grows from him, as it is joined
Scripture: John 17:21 I pray they will be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. I pray that they also will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. Thought for the Day: This is the first verse from the scripture that will be the basis of Sunday’s sermon. Shortly before his arrest, Jesus offered this prayer.
Scripture: Nehemiah 9:9 And you saw the distress of our ancestors in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea. Thought for the Day: Ezra was reminiscing about an event that had occurred centuries earlier, yet it was a defining moment for the people even though it had happened long before Ezra and his audience were born. How could something I never personally experienced impact me so
Scripture: Matthew 6:6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Thought for the Day: Henri Nouwen wrote: Solitude is where spiritual ministry begins. That’s where Jesus listened to God. That’s where we listen to God. How often do you take time to shut the
Scripture: Deuteronomy 26:5-9 Then you should solemnly state before the LORD your God: “My father was a starving Aramean. He went down to Egypt, living as an immigrant there with few family members, but that is where he became a great nation, mighty and numerous. The Egyptians treated us terribly, oppressing us and forcing hard labor on us. So we cried out for help to the LORD, our
A PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: A new week has begun and with it comes opportunities and choices that impact not only me and those closest to me, but your church and the building of your kingdom. O Giver of Life and Love, I am aware that too often I am not aware. So often your gentle nudge or your quiet invitation is ignored or overlooked. There is a
Scripture: Genesis 1:27, 31 God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them, male and female God created them…God saw everything he had made: it was supremely good. There was evening and there was morning: the sixth day. Thought for the Day: There are a number of passages in scripture where the sinfulness and failures of humanity are lifted up as if those
Scripture: Matthew 9:16 “No one sews a piece of new, unshrunk cloth on old clothes because the patch tears away the cloth and makes a worse tear. Thought for the Day: Side Note: This is the first verse from the passage I will use tomorrow in worship. Recently my wife pulled out a pair of socks to throw away. They were clearly worn out – big holes. I
Scripture: 1st John 4:9 This is how the love of God is revealed to us: God has sent his only Son into the world so that we can live through him. Thought for the Day: One of the most common phrases tossed around within Christianity is: “…so that we might have eternal life.” The idea is that we get to go be with Jesus upon our death as