Jesus and Me ... and the Cats

Luke 9:1-5, 10-17 Luke 9:13 (NRSV) But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” John 21:16-18 John 21:17 (NRSV) He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed   my   sheep.” Why didn't the disciples think that five loaves and two fish were enough to feed a hungry crowd? I ask this question because the disciples had just returned from a very successful mission trip to the local towns in the region. With the authority of Christ, they were sent out with nothing but the clothes on their backs and the missional imperative to   proclaim the good news that the Kingdom of Heaven has come near and to bring healing and wholen...

1 Kings 19:8-15   1 Kings 19:14-15 (NRSV) 14  He answered, “I have been very zealous for the   Lord , the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”   15  Then the   Lord   said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus ; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram . There’s always a morning-after – when the guests have gone home, when we have come down off of our mountain tops, when the great crisis is over.  The morning-after is when we return to the business of our everyday lives.  The ordinary, the normalcy and the demands of our lives return. Despite what happened in the day or days before, housework homework, lawn care, and the responsibilities of making a living have waited patiently, undone, for us. Our problems and challe...

Luke 24:13-35  On the day of his resurrection, two followers of Christ encounter the risen Savior on the Road to Emmaus. If you could invite anyone to have dinner with you, who would it be?  Would it be a celebrity or a famous historical figure?  Would it be a friend you haven’t seen in years or a dear departed relative?  Would it be your best friend, or that neighbor down the street you’ve been meaning to ask over, anyway? I wonder what Jesus’ response would be to that question? As I read this familiar story of the walk to Emmaus, my heart ached for Cleopas and his fellow disciple.  When Jesus asked his disciples “who do you say I am,” I’d like to think that they would have agreed that Jesus was the Messiah.   Now they returned home to Emmaus, downcast and broken hearted. When the “stranger” joined them on the road and engaged them in conversation, they shared the events of the week.  Hear the sorrow and grief in these words, “...

The afternoon shadows grow long and the light grows dim.  The end of the second day and the Jewish Sabbath.    Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome were waiting for the end of the Sabbath and first light to finish preparing Jesus’ body for burial.  Jesus’ followers hid behind locked doors, not knowing what awaited them in the morning. Waiting is the hardest part when death or tragedy steals our dreams, our hopes and our future.  What were they going to do, those disciples who had totally invested their hearts and their lives in Jesus’ teachings and promises?  Resurrection, if it came, seemed too far away.  They were afraid; they were grieving.  They probably felt lost and disorientated.  Did they wonder where God was in all of this?  Did they question the purpose of the last three years of their lives? Waiting in times of sorrow and suffering is terribly, terribly hard.  Hearts continue to ...

Matthew 25:31-46 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”  Matthew 8:20  (NRSV) At first glance, it looks like a homeless person sleeping on a bench in front of St. Alban's Episcopal Church in a wealthy neighborhood in Davidson, North Carolina.  In fact, one neighbor actually actually called the police. It's actually a statue called, "Jesus of the Homeless."  Some people said it looked "creepy."  It's suppose to be a visual representation of Matthew 25:36-40. ...for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,  I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’    Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?  ...

Romans 6:1-11 Here we have two glasses. One is full of water and one is empty. It's easy to place a subjective value on each. Fullness – a positive; emptiness – a negative. Yet, each can have a deeper meaning than that. The full glass of water can mean refreshment on a hot, summer's day or revitalization after a long bike ride. It is healing for a fevered body. A full glass of clean, sparkling water is life for someone who is dying of thirst or for a village whose only water supply is an open, running ditch contaminated by waste. An empty glass is filled with possibilities and promise. A glass stands ready to be filled to toast a couple beginning their married life together or to celebrate their 50 th anniversary. Perhaps it will come to hold punch served at a baby shower in honor of the first grandchild. Maybe it will be set out to be filled from a pitcher of lemonade to greet a long awaited visitor.          In the week to come...

For Lent, our church is studying  Twenty-four Hours that Changed the World  by Adam Hamilton.  We continue with the crucifixion of Christ and it's implications for us. . Galatians 2:19-21 Romans 6:1-11 MESSAGE What I've learned from all the fairy tales, folk stories and ancient epics I've ever read or seen the Disney version of is that everybody needs something. They need to be freed from a curse, sometimes brought on by their own poor choices or by circumstances b eyond their control, rescued by the kiss of unconditional love, a prince or knight in shining armor, a wizard or a fairy godmother. Everyone needs a second chance for an ever-after. Everyone needs to be saved ... … even escaped three convicts on the run. In the movie, O Brother, Where Art Thou, Everett, Delmar and Pete follow a large group of people dressed in white robes where baptisms are taking place. Suddenly, Delmar breaks away from his friends and pushes his way to the front...