Almost every two or three years we see stories in the news media about groups of people from different faith communities who have reached the conclusion that the time of the second coming of Christ is at hand. They will have reached this decision on the basis of their biblical research and study, and believe…

“Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.’” Or, in the more familiar version of this, “Practice what you preach.” In…

The sermon begins with a personal reflection. You may wish to substitute a relative or question. [The author writes: When I was growing up, one of my favorite pastime activities was to pester my younger brother, Kevin, with irritating questions. One of my favorite questions to him was, “Who do you like better, you or…

The portion of this scripture must be read in conjunction with the section of Acts 17 where Paul’s work in the city is first mentioned. Paul and Silas had left Philippi where they had established a church, and where they had had such dramatic encounters in jail and in the agora, the marketplace, and had…

“My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He plowed it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines.” A vineyard was then, is now, and will always be great deal of work. Cultivated grapevines and must be carefully pruned and trained to grow in a position that makes the…