Author: standrews

One Helluva Gift Pentecost Rev. Cathy Victor July 21, 2024 Pentecost (With thanks to Andrew Prior, Robert F. Capon, Frederick Buechner and Philip Yancey. ) A little piece of hell. What does that phrase make you think of? Gone to hell in a hand basket. Bloody ‘ell. A living hell perhaps. I’ve never preached a… Continue reading One Helluva Gift

Is The Church We Want Hiding In The Church We Have? Pentecost Rev. Wayne Stretch July 14, 2024 Pentecost 8B The other day I had coffee with a long-time member of St. Andrew’s who, like so many here, is a very committed, dedicated Christian. The conversation turned to the future of St. Andrew’s and how… Continue reading Is the church we want hiding in the church we have?

What is saving your life right now? Pentecost Pastor Mitch Coggin July 7, 2024 Pentecost 7B In her book, Altar in the World, Barbara Brown Taylor tells this story. She writes, Many years ago now, a wise old priest invited me to come speak at his church in Alabama. ‘What do you want me to… Continue reading What is saving your life right now?   

Embracing a faith that is willing to take risks! Pentecost 6 Pastor Mitch Coggin June 30, 2024 Pentecost In the first story we read from the Gospel of Mark passage, Jairus, the leader of the synagogue, is desperate to find Jesus. Jairus’ 12-year-old daughter is at the point of death and he begs Jesus to… Continue reading Embracing a faith that is willing to take risks!  

Finding Peace in the Storms Life Throws Our Way Pentecost Pastor Mitch Coggin June 23, 2024 Pentecost In his book, Hustling God, Craig Barnes wrote this about life, “your challenge in life is not primarily to accomplish something, but to remember that God will always lead you to places where you are in way over… Continue reading Finding Peace in the Storms Life Throws Our Way

Scattering Life Pentecost Pastor Mitch Coggin June 16, 2024 Pentecost 4B I’ve talked a lot about the church lately, and today’s scriptures might be an opportunity to talk about our individual faith, our individual spiritual moorings, our individual spiritual struggles, and what impact we make in our own spiritual lives that we don’t notice. In… Continue reading Scattering Life

A House Divided? Pentecost Pastor Mitch Coggin June 9, 2024 Pentecost 3B In today’s scripture, Jesus returned home, however, he wasn’t able to get away from the crowds. The crowds followed him. The frenzied crowd included his supporters, both Jews and Gentiles, who wanted to get close to the man who possessed power over sickness… Continue reading A House Divided? 

Treasure in Clay Pots Pentecost Pastor Mitch Coggin June 2, 2024 Pentecost 2B I heard a profound question this week that has captivated me. The question is “What are the losses and longings of the people in relation to the church?” During the last few weeks, a few have shared stories with me of their… Continue reading Treasure in Clay Pots

Creation in Three Parts Trinity Sunday Pastor Mitch Coggin May 26, 2024 Trinity Sunday Today is Trinity Sunday. The Trinity is a radical notion that God is not only Creator and Sovereign, but also Suffering Servant and Empowering Spirit, not only greater than we can imagine but also just like us, not only out there… Continue reading Creation in Three Parts 

Hidden Hope Pentecost Pastor Mitch Coggin May 19, 2024 Pentecost The story of Pentecost is not really about what happened in the gathering described in the Acts passage we read, but what continued after that miraculous event. Pentecost is about embracing the work of the Spirit within us and being open to the leading of… Continue reading Hidden Hope