Birth of the Unexpected Advent Pastor Mitch Coggin December 18, 2022 Advent 4A On the first week of Advent, we wondered what do we do in our waiting? I offered two choices: to live in the anxiety of the future or to choose to trust the unknown future and lived in the light of God.… Continue reading Birth of the Unexpected
Author: standrews
The Agony and the Ecstasy of the Unexpected
The Agony and Ecstasy of the Unexpected Advent Pastor Mitch Coggin December 11, 2022 Advent 3A When I was 8, I set my hope on a GI Joe for Christmas. I secretly hoped for all the equipment that came with that toy. On Christmas morning, the package under the tree with my name was the… Continue reading The Agony and the Ecstasy of the Unexpected
Waiting for Peace
Waiting for Peace Advent Pastor Mitch Coggin December 4, 2022 Advent 2A Oddly when I think about peacemakers, Bruce Thompson comes to mind. He didn’t work toward global peace, he worked in a hardware store in the rural area where I pastored. But, he did forge peace in his own heart and mind. Bruce was… Continue reading Waiting for Peace
The Blessing of Waiting
The Blessing of Waiting Advent Pastor Mitch Coggin November 27, 2022 Advent 1A Advent is about waiting. Waiting is hard for most of us. What is the blessing of waiting? How do we make waiting purposeful? The scriptures we read from Isaiah and Matthew were about waiting. In Isaiah people were waiting for resolution of… Continue reading The Blessing of Waiting
Citizens of the Reign of Christ
Citizens of the Reign of Christ Pentecost Ruth McCowan November 20, 2022 Pentecost 24 Prayer: Gracious and Loving God, speak in this place, in the calming of our minds and in the longing of our hearts, by the words of my lips and in the thoughts that we form. Speak, Loving God, as we listen… Continue reading Citizens of the Reign of Christ
Journey to the Cradle
Journey to the Cradle Pentecost Rev. Wayne Stretch November 13, 2022 Pentecost 24 Glenn Hinson was a greatly respected professor of mine at seminary. I remember one chapel he led… now 50 years later. Dr Hinson said he had uncovered the key ‘hermeneutical’ principle for understanding all the Jesus’ difficult sayings. He called it: “reverse-ism”.… Continue reading Journey to the Cradle
The Pain of Memory – The Power of Memory
The Pain of Memory – The Power of Memory Remembrance Day Pastor Mitch Coggin November 6, 2022 Pentecost 22 Richard Wagamese writes in his novel A Quality of Light, “When we find ourselves standing against the hushed palette of evening, searching the sky for one singular band of light, we’re filtering the spectrum of our… Continue reading The Pain of Memory – The Power of Memory
All Saints – Festival of Friends
All Saints – Festival of Friends Pentecost Rev. Cathy Victor October 30, 2022 Pentecost 21 This passage from Matthew is generally described as the Beatitudes, taken from the Latin – meaning the state of being blessed. Luke has his own version in Chapter 6 but it takes place on a plain. No – Not the… Continue reading All Saints – Festival of Friends
The Riddle of Mercy
The Riddle of Mercy Pentecost Pastor Mitch Coggin October 23, 2022 Pentecost 20 The parables that Jesus were in fact riddles containing multiple layers that must be peeled like an onion. At first, the story seems simple and you think you understand, but then another possibility occurs as to what this story might potentially mean.… Continue reading The Riddle of Mercy
Persist, instead of a black eye
Persist… Instead of a Black Eye! Pentecost Pastor Mitch Coggin October 16, 2022 Pentecost 22C Jeremiah the prophet wrote to people who were in despair of their life and faith. Their nation and their temple had been destroyed and with it any hope that God remembered them. Once again, we hear what was said to… Continue reading Persist, instead of a black eye