What does a pastor say in his last sermon? What rises to that level of importance? For our pastor, it is the simple message of God’s love as captured in John 3:16.

Baptists were the earliest champions of the separation of church and state. Some historians say that concept is Baptists’ greatest contribution. Yet, some today would reverse it. What does it mean to separate church and state?

The story of the people of Israel is our story. It is a mix of history and myth. It tells us something about ourselves. Like the people of Israel, we have a propensity to build idols.

It wasn’t trivial. It was serious. Painful. It cost you a lot. And now you’re expected to forgive him? You would rather see him suffer, like you did. How do we forgive others when we really don’t want to?

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day talked a good game.  They claimed authority to be the official teachers of the people.  Unfortunately, they did not practice what they preached.  We never do that, do we? 

This Sunday we will ordain Andrew Sivak and Beverly Olmsted to the office of deacon. Others will be installed as deacons.

People experience God in many ways. For some, it is high church worship with all the “smells and bells.” For others, it is a simple praise chorus. For still others, it may be in nature, another person, or a solitary encounter.

Attendance decline. Scandals. Irrelevance. The Church today faces some stiff headwinds. What’s going to happen to the Church? Sociologists have made predictions, as have church leaders. What did Jesus have to say?

Why would a famous psychiatrist choose to be baptized at mid-life? Dr. Scott Peck saw the need of his patients to start over, to wipe the past away and start afresh. The Christian concepts of sin and forgiveness offer a new start. Not just for his patients but for him too.

It’s the language many of us grew up with.  We heard sermons about receiving Jesus.  We talked about it in Sunday School.  Rarely did we stop to ask what it really means.  What does it mean to receive Jesus? 

The country seems paralyzed. Neighbors won’t talk with neighbors. Churches are splitting apart. The news about your health is not good. Your children won’t talk to you. With so much bad news, can we find reasons to hope?

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the bad guys are obvious: the robbers. They beat, stripped, robbed and left their victim on the side of the road. The priest and Levite weren’t bad people, but they didn’t help the victim. Their sin was different. They committed the sin of uselessness.

When someone is baptized at Weatherly, the entire congregation participates in the blessing by saying in unison, “We baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” This is actually what Jesus commanded in Matthew.

We normally think of four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Some argue that the book of Acts is a gospel too.

When Paul entered Athens, he observed the many objects of worship. One object had an inscription, “To an unknown god.” Paul described the Athenians as “extremely religious.” Do you consider yourself to be extremely religious? Moderately religious? Mildly religious? What does that even mean? The

Guilt. Shame. Fear. Sometimes the church produces the most negative feelings in people. And then sometimes it produces the most positive: love, value, security. Notice how some types of religion extract value from us. Others add value to us. Peter delivered a sermon in which he called the people “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.” He added value to them.

They left Jerusalem. All the chaos.  The death.  The rumors.  They were on the road again to the village of Emmaus.  They met an unknown traveler who changed everything for them.  Guess who the unknown traveler was? 

Thomas was no one’s fool. “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails…I will not believe,” he declared to the other disciples. Are we as demanding as Thomas? Or are we vulnerable to fooling ourselves?

An old, rugged cross will transform into a living cross right before our eyes this Sunday. Please join us as we celebrate the good news of Easter morning.

It was a great day. The crowds were jubilant. All the plans fell into place. Jesus was hailed as “the Son of David.” What more could he want? Jesus knew the triumph would be short lived.