Like you, I have been richly blessed by having great teachers who were influential in my life. Dr. Harold Songer was one of my favorite seminary professors. I had him for a number of classes and he was one of the most outstanding teachers and lecturers I have ever encountered. I could enter his classroom […]
Finish this sentence – we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are…created equal. And so go the immortal words of the Declaration of Independence. The idea of equality is part of our DNA as Americans. We love the idea of equality. We teach the idea of equality. We cherish the idea of […]
What is it about Jesus? What is it about Jesus that makes him the most compelling figure in all of history? This morning I begin a new series of messages titled What Is It About Jesus? Coming through the Easter season I thought a good deal about how the story of Jesus is so embedded […]
Good morning, and Happy Easter! Today is not only Easter. Can anyone else tell me what today is? That’s right; it is also April Fool’s Day. I’m certain there is more than one skeptic making a joke out of the fact that Easter and April Fool’s Day fall on the same date. I can hear […]
Good morning and Happy Easter! He is risen! He is risen indeed! Welcome to our Sunrise Service; we are grateful you are here, and we are grateful for our hard-working deacons, who have prepared such a wonderful smelling breakfast we will enjoy in, oh, I should have you eating by 9:00 a.m.:) Our Scripture text […]
There are few things as powerful or that capture our imaginations as much as that of a story. We love stories. We read stories to our children and when friends and family members get together they share stories. The Bible shares a great many stories. It shares stories of our forbearers in faith and stories […]
This morning we continue the series of messages that will take us through the month of March and into Easter. The title of the series is What Faith Can See. In this series I am speaking about passages in the gospels that demonstrate how difficult it was for the disciples and others to understand the […]
Last August I attended the Men’s Health Fair at Jewish Hospital, as I do every year. One of the stations I visit at the Health Fair provides eye exams. After I read the eye chart I was surprised to learn that I have 20/20 vision, which means my eyesight has actually improved in the past […]
Today, someone, somewhere in the world, will lose their life. It will not be as a result of hunger or disease. It won’t be a result of their age or infirmity. The loss of life will result from religious persecution. This morning we complete our series of messages on the Beatitudes, as we talk about […]
Today we continue our series of messages on the Beatitudes, with a message on the seventh beatitude – blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Considering the events of the past week I would say that the timing of this beatitude is certainly, well, timely. I would say that except […]