The Fellowship of Joy

History is written by victors and conquerors. We cannot rely on any one narrative for a call to gratitude and thanks. That we annually set aside a day to be thankful is not enough. We have enough right now for which we can be grateful and we have many days to lament. But to lament without thanks is to be as narrow in our thinking and those who choose to also be naïve. We are alive and we have opportunities to affect positive change in the world. Those of us to who housed, fed, sheltered, and loved have a great debt of gratitude. We also have a great responsibility to extend the wide open doors of opportunity to others, our neighbors here and our neighbors around the world.

Are you the King?  Not of this world is Jesus’ reply.  It’s apples and oranges.  The key words that differentiate Jesus’ kingdom from our kingdoms are:  Realm, Reign, Rationale Peace, Power, Popularity  If you are like Pilate, and to some extent, we all are at some point, you just don't get it. We can't get it when we try to impose our own or society's definitions of power, might, prestige, and influence on a kingdom that is not of this world.  We ask the same question he asked. With truth standing before us, staring us in the face, trying one angle after another to explain truth to us and to shake us out of our tired definitions, "What is truth?"   The truth is that truth is .... And it is not what we think it is. It never was and never can be.  Truth that transcends and transforms enters the world as a blinding contrast to our values and false passions. it challenges our insecurities and control mania. It challenges our notions that we must reso...

Sermon Notes --------------- We are have roles to play in God's story. These roles all have different characters, but the role of the whole is to bear the image and self-disclosure of God and God's story in the world. Therefore, we observe: We all long to have something of ourselves to give back to God. Everything that we ever have to give comes from God. There is a desire to leave something of ourselves in the world and for the world to bless the world. God hears the prayer that longs for this. God's name is made known through those who desire this. Here is a different cast of character over a long period of time: Sara, Hannah, Elizabeth, Mary - All had unexpected pregnancies. One of these wanted nothing more. Hannah, mother of Samuel, the last of the judges of Israel ---------------------------------------- Some Background: The name Elkanah is a Hebrew name for boys that means "God has purchased" or "God has created". It comes from ...

Not every acronym is a definition. This one is not. It is a series of words upon which to meditate as you listen. G - Great is God; Good is great. God is gracious. God is good. L - God is love. God's love is vaster than the universe. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son. God loves you. O - God is omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), and omnipresent (always present). R - God is righteous. Right! Always right, defining right, directing right thought and action, calling us to righteous living and right relationship with himself and others. I - God is infinite and immutable, unbounded and unchanging. God is the "I Am." A - God is Always all of the above and more! Gloria! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvZYhxT5Mf8