If you were to buy a package of sunflower seeds to snack on, and if you bit off the kernel to get to the wee seed, and if you were to look at that seed for a few seconds, you might marvel at the fact that such a plain little thing, if planted, will grow … read
While on study leave in January, I learned a new preacher’s trick: the four-page sermon, in which the sermon is structured in four parts: problem in the text, problem in the world; grace in the text, grace in the world. Now I’ll admit that the four-page sermon has been a bit of a struggle this … read
Valentine’s Day is this week. Some people anticipate it with great gusto and joy. Others do their best to ignore it.It’s an important time for businesses: purveyors of chocolate, flowers, wine, and food. It’s tempting to be cynical about it, but isn’t there something important in the invitation to “give our heart” to someone? A … read
Of course many of you are familiar with Isaac Newton’s third law, that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. As it is in the world of nature and science, so it is in the world of human relationships – our actions often, if not always, result in an equal reaction.In today’s … read
How are we doing, Westminster? It’s a good question to ask at least once a year. So, how are we doing? We can answer that question by looking at numbers, for those of you who appreciate facts and figures more than poetry. This year we received 18 new members and lost, through death, transfer, or … read
The people who lived in darkness have seen a great light, Isaiah told us once, back in Advent as we were awaiting the birth of the Christ child. We’re now in the season of Epiphany, celebrating the light of Christ in the world. But today’s text tugs at us to go back to Isaiah, not … read