
The Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36)
A sermon preached at United Reformed Church of Clifton, February 14, 2021 During the last year we have been trying … Continue reading The Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36)
A sermon preached at United Reformed Church of Clifton, February 14, 2021 During the last year we have been trying … Continue reading The Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36)
The first story, set in Capernaum, deals with people enjoying power and status both from the Roman realm and the Jewish hierarchy.
The scene in Nain is decidedly more rustic and lower class. There is a “large crowd,” but there are no dignitaries, no intermediaries, no prepared speeches.
Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t bother with such distinctions. Continue reading A Study in Contrasts: The Centurion and the Widow of Nain–Luke 7:1-17
This post includes clips from the TV series, “The Chosen” to illustrate Jesus’ compassion for all kinds of outcasts and misfits. Continue reading Outcasts and Other Sinners Luke 5: 12-16 and 27-32
When Jesus preached his first sermon in his hometown, he initially received a very warm welcome.
But Jesus knew better than to fall into the trap of being a people pleaser. Jesus recognizes that their approval is only skin deep and they don’t fully comprehend his message. They’ve heard what they want to hear, not what they need to hear. His message is only for those who know that they are poor and wretched, those who know that they are sinners. His message requires not enthusiasm but repentance.
And so Jesus provokes them.
And when Jesus refuses to cater to their sense of entitlement, their approval quickly turns to murderous hostility Continue reading Moving Beyond Entitlement to Repentance: Two Reactions to Jesus’ Inaugural Sermon (Luke 4: 14-30)
“Never underestimate the ponderings of a mother… Mary is a thoughtful person. Nothing that is happening is getting past her attention. As such, her pondering, her treasuring, her keeping all of the words, should tell us something, something very important about our own responses and reactions to the life of Jesus.” Karoline Lewis Continue reading Pondering Jesus with Mary–A Sermon on Luke 2:41-52
Which time of day do you prefer: sunsets or sunrises?
Sunsets are a benediction, a revelation of God’s glory and holiness, a peaceful blessing that carries us into a grateful and restful sleep.
Simeon is a man who is caught between a sunset and a sunrise. On the one hand he is in the sunset of his life. But on the other hand he is privileged to witness the dawn of a new age in the coming of Jesus. Continue reading Simeon’s Story: A Beautiful Sunset and a New Dawn (Luke 2: 22-38)
Question: What do you give a God who has everything? The wisemen brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, but whta can we give him?
Answer: You give him your all. Continue reading What Do You Give a God Who Has Everything: A Christmas Day Meditation on Romans 12:1-8
A Sermon on Joel 2:12-13, 28-29 preached on the 2nd Sunday in Advent, December 6, 2020 at United Reformed Church … Continue reading Repentance and Hope
The open question at the end of the book is “Will Jonah actually change?” The book doesn’t tie things up in a nice tidy bow, but leaves things hanging with a question that must be answered by both Jonah and also ourselves. God asks us, “And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?” Continue reading Under the Gourd Vine
Today is All Saints Day, a day to remember those women and men who have set us an example of faithfulness and trust. Our scripture lesson this morning introduces us to one such faithful saint, the widow of Zarephath. You might be interested to know that in his very first sermon, delivered in his hometown of Nazareth, Jesus singles her out as a woman of faith who was chosen and blessed by God. If Jesus has such a high regard for her, perhaps we should learn more about her and her faith, for she is one of those saints that we celebrate on this day. Continue reading An Unlikely Saint: The Widow of Zarephath ( I Kings 17: 8-24)
TIME OUTDOORS ISN'T SPENT IT\'S INVESTED
I am an artist and illustrator. And these “episodes” are quick sketches of and stories about people that I meet or have met over the years. I do the drawings first, keeping them simple and spontaneous but (hopefully) sophisticated. They are with perhaps one or two exceptions, line drawings done with a fine-line pen. I started doing these drawings in business meetings. That expanded to doing them in waiting rooms or while traveling, as a way to remember the people I met, worked with, or just observed from afar. Once I’d done a number of these sketches, I began to wonder about the people they depict. What might they be really like on the inside? What are their dreams? Their fears? Their secrets? Since I did not know the people I was drawing (or because I did not know them well), I felt ill-at-ease about asking personal questions. And so, I began to create stories about these people, based on what I imagine their life is like. That way, each drawing became a kind of psychological adventure; I never knew, when I sat down to write, what I was going to find. Like the drawings themselves, the stories are not to scale or photographic. If there is any prevailing theme, it is this: people keep their inner world well-hidden and probably for damn good reason. A secondary theme: making stuff up is much more fun than reality. And in a way, that is the real truth in all this. If you would like to learn more about me or my work please send a note. Our email: myron.gilbert@att.net
Celebrating what makes Brittany unique
exploring ideas - inspired by texts - expressed in images
Hannah's daily devotional
Sharing tidbits of my world
"Diamonds are found only in the dark places of the earth; truths are found only in the depths of thought." (Victor Hugo, Les Miserables)
thoughts on life, teaching, and faith
Searchings: Sacred and Secular
Deb Mechler
Writing Down The Bones
Explorations in Practical Theology and Youth Ministry
The Middle Ages in the Modern World
moments of illumination along the journey of life
Impressions Becoming Expressions