Scripture: Psalm 11:4-5 The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold, his gaze examines humankind. The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, and his soul hates the lover of violence. Thought for the Day: In the sermon this morning, we are reflecting on the notion of surrender. Throughout history, there have been many stories (some fiction, some not) in
Scripture: Exodus 7:14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go.” Thought for the Day: Criss Jami is an interesting musician and author. He wrote, “I often find that people confuse inner peace with some sense of insensibility whenever something goes wrong. In such cases inner peace is a permit for destruction: The unyielding optimist will pretend that the
Scripture: James 4:6-10 But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be
Guest Writer—Rev. Paula Gembala Scripture: John 19:1-3 – Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they struck him in the face. Thought for the Day: Several years ago, a large group
Scripture: Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. Thought for the Day: I have been deeply distressed over the resume discrepancy of Manhattan’s basketball coach, Steve Masiello. A few weeks back, he was one of the rising stars in college basketball. It looked as if he’d be the next coach at South Florida, with an incredibly large paycheck.
Scripture: Proverbs 17:12 Better to meet a she-bear robbed of its cubs than to confront a fool immersed in folly. Thought for the Day: I thought about doing an elaborate April Fools’ Day Devotional, something on the scale of Orson Welles’ The War of the Worlds radio broadcast. The 1937 radio program used fake news bulletins that unexpectedly flamed the fears of an already anxious nation in the
Scripture: Philippians 3:10-11 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Thought for the Day: In her book, Wonderful and Dark is This Road: Discovering the Mystic Path, Emilie Griffin describes mysticism as “a deep and sustained intimacy with a loving God,
Scripture: Psalm 41:4 As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you.” Thought for the Day: I always liked the humorous story about the four ministers who would get together on occasion. During one of their conversations, one of the ministers suggested that they confess their sins to one another. “Our people always pour out their hearts to
Scripture: 1st John 4:19 We love because he first loved us. Thought for the Day: I recently came across the name of a great Christian—Secundus of Asti. In 119AD, he was arrested, tortured and executed for providing a Christian burial for a fellow Christian named Marcian of Tortona. Secundus understood the implications of his actions, but went forward despite the danger. In the days before his death, he
Scripture: James 1:23-27 For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their