Several years ago I had an opportunity to visit Westminster by-the-Sea Presbyterian Church in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida, for a Sunday worship service. I had always enjoyed my visits to this church, knowing that I would hear outstanding music and an excellent sermon by their senior pastor, the Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Sumner. But I also heard another important message that day. Dr. Sumner spoke of the need for parishioners to attend to their physical health as well as their spiritual well-being. And on this particular Sunday, there would be an opportunity to do this by taking advantage of a free screening for skin cancer that a local dermatologist would be providing immediately after the worship service.
Brad Smith, then a seminary intern serving at Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina, gave birth to the Souper Bowl of Caring with this prayer: “Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat.”
When the 110,000 American citizens and immigrants of Japanese descent living on the West Coast were taken without due process into ten “Relocation Camps” by the federal government in the first year of the US’ involvement in World War II, they set about immediately organizing places of worship through which to seek solace and strength.
Today begins the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Protestant Christians join in study, prayer and action, seeking the unity of the church. This year’s international theme is drawn from the First Epistle of Peter and the familiar passage reminding Christians of our identity and purpose. We have been called into a particular relationship with other Christians that mark us as belonging to God. We are claimed by God in order that we might give witness to the transformative power of God.
Over 100 people gathered in Louisville, Kentucky, on October 22 for an antiracism training event. Most participants came from congregations in the Presbytery of Mid-Kentucky; others, from the Louisville community.
Last autumn I traveled with mission co-workers and partners in Thailand to visit Hill Tribe persons working to gain such citizenship rights as healthcare and education. The experience showed me just one of the many ways the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is working to address human trafficking. Presbyterians in their own communities have established shelters, resource facilities and computer applications as well.
The agricultural metaphor was one of Jesus’ favorites. Speaking to a people of the land, Jesus used the imagery of the land often in his parables and sermons. A sower who went out to sow. A lamp and a bushel basket. Growing seed. Mustard seed. And that is just one chapter (Mark 4). Throughout his ministry, Jesus connected God’s work to the growth from the land. The nourishment and sustenance of the earth became metaphors for the care and support of God’s in-breaking Reign.
If it’s true—according to a children’s hymn—that “all God’s creatures got a place in the choir,” then Caleb Chincoya is an overachiever.
The multi-talented 21-year-old college senior takes up at least five spots—playing guitar, bass, congas, drums, and piano—in the band.
Today’s lectionary text from the letter to the Ephesians reminds us that the love of God anchors and sustains us. It is the firm ground underneath our feet. It is the fertile soil in which we are rooted, allowing us to grow and flourish. Scripture is full of images from the agricultural world that describe God’s kingdom.
I have a favorite T-shirt.
It’s not my favorite shirt because it’s fancy or colorful. In fact, it’s just a white shirt received at the finish line of a 5-kilometer charity walk more than a decade ago.
