RSS FeedADVENT 3
I have been writing about The Four Last Things: the traditional subjects of the four Sundays in Advent – Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. The third of the four last things is the theme of Heaven. St. John receives a vision in Revelation 21 that assures him that the...
DISCOVERING AND VALUING YOUR LIFE
James Houston and Michael Parker in their book A VISION FOR THE AGING CHRISTIAN, encourage older people to take time to examine their lives and recall their unique stories of faith, failure, endurance and success in order to value their past and to share it with...
ADVENT 2
The Advent Prayer; Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility; so that, at the last day, when he shall come again in his...
PRAYERS OF A PASTOR
In 1978 I became Rector (Pastor) of Grace Church, Orange Park, Florida, a suburb of Jacksonville and moved there with my wife Antoinette and my two daughters, Carrie(4) and Amelia(1). The church members were local and Jacksonville professional and business leaders and...
ADVENT 1
The four last things that are traditionally subjects of the four Sundays in Advent are Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. John Stott dealt with each of these subjects in his writings. The ‘last things’ (death, the Parousia, the resurrection, the last judgement and the...
THANKSGIVING
When Thanksgiving approaches I receive in the mail a catalogue from the New Braunfels Smokehouse in Texas. We used to enjoy eating in their restaurant and buying goods from their shop when we lived in San Antonio. In fact the owners were members of my congregation. I...
I AM COMING SOON
Eugene Peterson A common American Southern farewell is “Y’all come back and see us, you hear!”. It is an invitation to return and visit. But it is not expected that you will. The sentiment expressed is that we enjoyed your visit, and you are always welcome, but we...
AGING
Will Willimon is a retired Methodist bishop, a former Dean of the chapel at Duke University, and is now professor of the practice of Christian ministry at Duke Divinity School. He is the author of many valuable books on the Christian faith. His AGING: Growing Old in...
THE IMMIGRATION DEBATE
The open borders of the European Union, the United Kingdom and the debate over our border with Mexico have fueled much political rhetoric about national security, identity, culture and jobs. As Christians we feel compassion for the have nots and for those seeking a...
BEING A BURDEN
In his book on aging Will Willimon includes a sermon he preached on the blessedness of being a burden. I’ve got a couple of children; do I want to be a burden to them in my old age? Well, why not? They have been a burden to me. True, I did not give them birth, but I...
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