Today’s two lessons — the thirsty children of Israel and the Samaritan woman at the well — raise the question: what benefits come from arguing with the Lord? The children of Israel displeased Moses, but the ended up getting water from the rock. The woman at the well became an evangelist. So, asks the Rev. Neale Morgan, what about us?

 

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“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” St. John 3:16

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I was reading an article last week about the rhetoric that Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee has been using on the campaign trail. Huckabee, as you probably know, is an ordained Baptist minister, and he is fond of making his points by means of allusions to Biblical verses and stories. The article I read was complaining that this isn’t likely to work very well, because modern Americans are so Biblically illiterate. The author of the article had taken some of Huckabee’s references and run them by people waiting in line to go up the Washington Memorial, much like Jay Leno’s famous man on the street interviews. Continued

“I will put my law on their hearts.” Hebrews 10:16

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

We welcome you to Saint Paul’s Church for this, the first of the services in the Route 34 Lenten Series. As you may have read, each of the five of the services will have one of the mountains of the Bible as its focus. Many of the great events in the history of God’s salvation of his people take place on mountains. Even today we have this phrase, “mountain top experiences” which we use to describe times of great joy and spiritual growth. In this series we are reviewing a few of the original mountain-top experiences of the Scriptures to explore what they can teach us about God and the way in which He continues to challenge and bless His people. Continued

  “Sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned.”  Romans 5:12 In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.

I often listen to the radio show This American Life, which every week chooses a theme from human experience, something we can all understand, and then collects striking real-life stories around that theme.  Last week’s theme was about huge projects that don’t quite work out, and the opening story has stayed with me all week long. Continued

“…as dying, and behold we live” II Corinthians 6:9

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I participated this morning in a deeply countercultural activity. In the Chapel of Saint James school, I assisted the other clergy in administering ashes to the students, using the same service we will use in just a few minutes. Participation was strong, as it always is on Ash Wednesday. Some students come forward to receive the ashes who are bit more wary of receiving the Sacrament, seeming to doubt God’s redemption of the world a bit more strongly than their own sinfulness and mortality. They came, and knelt at the Altar Rail, one after another, the beauty queens and the athletic heroes, the creative spirits, and the social butterflies, they knelt down and we ashes on their forehead and spoke those words-”you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” Continued

In last month’s Town Crier, I was disappointed to read about the vandalism and littering at Sharpsburg’s Big Spring.  I hadn’t visited the spot myself since moving into town, so a few days after the Crier came, I walked down to see it.  I was pleased to note that there was only one crushed can to pick up and throw away.  Councilman Russ Weaver had apparently beat me to the job, I found out later. Continued

Ash Wednesday, today (February 6), marks the beginning of the Church’s forty day period of fasting, prayer and self denial. The Lenten period urges us to repent of our sin, to renew our practice of the spiritual disciplines and to meditate on God’s Word, so as to be ready to keep the Easter Feast with joy. There are variety of helpful web resources to help you learn how to keep Lent well, some of which are listed here. May this be a season of renewal and growth for you.

Full Homely Divinity–has two great pages, one “Preparing for Lent,” discusses the spiritual practices of the season, while “Lenten Customs” describes cultural traditions surrounding the season.

Forty Ideas for a Good Lent– a series of simple suggestions, one for each day. 

Lent: A Call to Conversion– This Catholic resource features a Lenten Calendar, like the more familiar Advent Calendars, with readings and meditations for each day.   

“The disciples fell on their faces, and were filled with awe. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “rise and have no fear.” St. Matthew 17:6-7

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

We welcome the scouts from troop 51 and their families to our worship service this morning. We are delighted to have you with us and we are thankful for all the good work you are doing. As I have told several of you, I was once a Boy Scout, a member of Troop 117 in Clear Spring. But I wasn’t much of a success as a Boy Scout. I never advanced beyond the Tenderfoot rank, I never earned the Totin’ Chip award that allowed me to carry a knife, and I never learned how to build a campfire. Continued

 

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