St James Presbyterian Church

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them…

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who became obedient to death.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all…

Sermon at Athens: What you worship as unknown, I proclaim to you.

One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.”…

Paul and Ananias, each called into Christ’s service (locally and globally)

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we…

Do the Passion narrative.

We pick right back up in the middle of the Holy Week action today, moments after Jesus’ encounter with Pilate. Remember, last week, Jesus and Pilate discussed authority, empire, and found Jesus as the scapegoat for the people’s anger. And before I read our scripture, I want to say this: Empire feeds…

My kingdom is not from this world.

Let’s bow our heads for the prayer of illumination. God, whom we know through the scriptures and creation, speak to us in this hour. Show us the wisdom and joy of your ways, that we may know what is good and do what is right. Jesus Christ, your Word. Amen. And our scripture this morning, if you want…

Our Gospel reading today is a quintessential Lenten text. The cross is squarely in Jesus’ sites. As we considered on Ash Wednesday, now he is staring death in the face. The evil one’s work is unfolding. As well, in this text we have some of the main cast of characters in the Jesus stories. There is a…

Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said…

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see…

This week we are in the early days of Jesus’ public activity, where he is baptized and performs his first miracle in the book of John. Remember, last week, we heard Jesus put out the all points bulletin — Come and See. Come and see what God is doing, come take part, come serve and give and receive and…

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city…

On this Third Sunday of Advent, we tell of joy! Joy, joy, joy! While we are yet in the season of waiting, Joy bubbles up in us as we rest assured of God’s promises. Joy is an active word. In the sense that joy takes place in the present moment. While hope anticipates the coming of God’s peace, shalom,…

Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities. When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”…

First Sunday of Advent

Jeremiah 29:1 , 4–14 These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God…

But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have…

Alright, we’re continuing through the narrative of the Scriptures, fully embedded now in the Prophets of Israel. Historically, we’re looking at the last 1000 years or so BCE. It’s a time of building, geopolitical change, and the evolution of the Israelite understanding of prophecy, the divine word of…

Be still. Peace. Be still. There is a lot of noise in my life right now. A lot of things vying for my heart and attention. These things include the normal parts of being a parent and in middle age, like making sure permission slips are filled out and quarterly taxes paid. But it also includes the immensity…

God does not look on outward appearance but on the heart; create in me a clean heart.

Alright, as we know, we’re going through a narrative arc of the Scriptures this year. We’re not hitting every story, but touching on many major points in the unfolding story of the people of Israel, the mission of Jesus, and the early church. We want to gain a sense of the scope AND look at how people’s…

What is the name of God? How dare we seek to name that which is beyond all names? Can God have a name? Can we fathom it? These questions have been central to my faith and it’s evolution over the last 20 years. In my early twenties, I had grown quite disenchanted with many of the popular, evangelical,…

Today, we continue our series of the narrative lectionary, the sacred mythos, the world of the Bible and God’s unfolding narrative of blessing humanity. We began a couple weeks ago with the Creation story. God’s presence hovers over the chaos of our lives and speaks the enchanted cosmos into being. And…

Today we continue in the beginning of the narrative arc of the Scriptures, moving from the stories of Creation to settle into the more up-close family drama of Abraham and Sarah. The cosmic God has moved closer to humanity. There is a lot to explore in this upcoming reading and I’m going to do my best…

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated…

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.”…

Setting the stage of the human condition. Guilt through idolatry. Justification through Christ.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said…

When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, “Watch out, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” They said to one another, “It is because we have brought no bread.” And becoming aware of it, Jesus said, “You of little faith, why…

There is an ancient Hebrew story from the time of Exodus, where God’s people tell of their great struggles in the wilderness, wandering as they return from captivity in Egypt. The people are tired, worn out, hot, and hungry. And what do you do when you’re tired, worn out, hot, and hungry? Well…most of…

I love this prophetic passage from Isaiah, so I’m going to read it in its entirety, from Isaiah 55 . Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not…

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah…

Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. “I have said these things to you while…

John 13:31-35 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and…

Jesus, the Shepherd calls to his sheep. We, like children who know their mother’s voice, hear the call. The Mothering-God guides us through the joy and sorrow of life.