“On the ship of the church there are no passengers, all members are the crew.” From the Charter of Church of the Savior, Washington D.C. During 2018 we celebrated our faith in communion, in baptism, in marriage, and in the lives of those who have joined with the saints in heaven. We continued to face the challenges that we share with other communities of faith. During 2018 we have seen an increase in the things that divide us in our world. It appears that we have lost the ability to come together and reason with one another. Anyone with an opposing view or thought is to be villainized, shouted down, defeated, and destroyed. We are called to be peacemakers in a “Game of Thrones” world. So, as we look toward the new year, we can see that we have our work cut out for us. We need to be building bridges of faith within and without our church and the communities in which we live. We need to be striving to see the possibilities instead of the barriers. We need to put our faith to work,
What follows is my sermon for Easter Sunrise Service delivered at St. Luke's United Church of Christ in Luthersburg, PA. The Best News Ever The story of the Jesus as told in the new testament is called the Gospel which means Good News. Jesus himself said that he had come to bring the good news that the Kingdom of God was at hand. The term Good News can be found 16 times in the four books called the Gospel, and an additional 13 more times in the rest of the books of the New Testament. Now I have what may seem like a strange question. Why are you here this morning? I mean, did you get up extra early this morning, get cleaned up and drive to this spot for some good news? I am going to make an assumption. I think it is a pretty safe assumption, but an assumption none the less. I assume that you are here this morning because you are a Christian. You claim the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus has made a mark on your life and you are here to celebrate the news of