Jesus and Me ... and the Cats

Luke 4:14-30 In the movie "Frozen," Princess Elsa is told by Grandfather Troll that Fear was her enemy.  How she and her parents chose to deal with her situation was the very thing that isolated her from the very person who would who could help her defeat the power of her fear. That day in the synagogue, Jesus told the people he had grown up around who he was:  the Messiah, being anointed by the Holy Spirit that day in the Jordan sent to bring them God's word, the good news of God's love in action among them. And then he did something that made them very angry.  He told them to their faces what they were thinking.  "Who does he think he is?  I used to make fun of him in school?  He's no Messiah!"  "He's too good to perform miracles for us, but he will heal gentiles in Capernaum?"  "Did he just compare us to idol worshipping, prophet killing Israelites?"  "Does he know about all those awful things I've done?"

Thank you, God for another day of living; thank you for another day of life. Forgive me Lord -- I know I'm not the person I should be; But praise God, I'm not the person I used to be. I open myself to you and all the opportunities and challenges this day holds To be forgiven, healed and transformed by your love, So I may be one more day closer to becoming the person you created me to be. Amen.

Nehemiah 8:1-10 Luke 4:14-21 The first time I attended an event at a synogogue, I felt lost and out of place.  Because it was a new experience, and not really knowing what was going on, I was afraid I was going to say or do something wrong.  But my Jewish friend was there to explain everything to me.  She was my interpreter, the one who gave sense to the experience.    As we continue in learning what it means to be the Body of Christ in an age of high tech and social media, what lessons can we draw from the experiences of God's people as told in the Book of Nehemiah? Different people process information in different ways. Me, I'm very much a visual learner, which a majority of us are. Show me a picture, write it down for me or give me an image provoking example, and I've got it.   In seminary, I had some difficult classes. In one, my professor only lectured and rarely ever moved from one spot. I not only struggled in that class, but I dreaded going

John 2:1-11 2 Corinthians 13:4-13 A scripture passage commonly read as part of a wedding ceremony, a story of a wedding in a far away land a long time ago -- together, they answer the question, "So, what does this matter to me?" There's a knock at your office door  ... your phone begins vibrating in the middle of level thirty-four of your favorite video game ... the door bell breaks the peace you're enjoying after a long day ... someone corners you at a party ...  your mother whispers in your ear, "they've run out of wine ..." There are times when all is right in our world until someone interrupts it with their problems.  Why should it concern us?  Really, it's none of our business.  And why would we want to bet involved any way?  We don't want the bother or the sacrifice of our valuable to our time,  to commit our emotions and resources to something that doesn't seem that important to us. Jesus answered Mary, "Is that any

Isaiah 43:1-7 Luke 3:15-22 You see them at ball games and dance recitals, graduations and weddings -- the proud fathers who cheer their children on with beaming faces and sometimes a tear in their eyes.  "That's my child!" their action declare to the world. Some of us have fathers like that, and some of us have fathers who are not so present, so involved, so encouraging and supporting.  Some of us have spent our lives, trying with everything we are to somehow earn the validation we never had as children.  Whatever our relationship was like with our earthly fathers, a story about a day down at the river reminds us that we have a Father who is loves us in a way no human being can. When Christ was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, God enthusiastically breaks into human reality and proudly declares, "This is my son!"   This wasn't the first time God did this.  There were the angels and the shepherds at Jesus' birth and the star and

Full Definition of  epiphany plural   epiph·a·nies 1 capitalized   :   January 6 observed as a church festival in commemoration of the coming of the  Magi   as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles or in the Eastern Church in commemoration of the baptism of Christ 2 :   an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being a   (1)   :   a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the  essential  nature or meaning of something  (2)   :   an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking  (3)   :   an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure b   :   a revealing scene or moment.                www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epiphany Ephesians  3:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12 Isn't it interesting that God would reveal the birth of His Son to a group of court magicians and astrologers in what was probably Persia?  Of course, God used a astronomical event to attract their atte