by gardenspres | Jul 15, 2019
This month in our exegetical Bible study we are starting the Book of James. James is my favorite book of Scripture, but one that has long been misunderstood in particular regarding the way James handles discussions on faith and works. In addition, the later half of...
by gardenspres | Jul 8, 2019
Vision is a gift from the Holy Spirit that always bubbles up from within the community of faith, the congregation. Creating vision, casting vision, or even charting a course to achieve a vision is never solely the work of the pastor or even the session. The people of...
by gardenspres | Jul 1, 2019
Jesus came proclaiming the Reign of God had arrived. The Church proclaims that Jesus is the manifestation and presence of the Reign of God. So what exactly was Jesus’ work and what exactly did Jesus do that manifested God’s Reign? Jesus included the...
by gardenspres | May 8, 2019
Saul thought he had everything figured out and had all the answers to life’s many questions. He had his faith and religion figured out; he knew who his friends and his enemies were and he dedicated his life to harassing and persecuting his enemies and kowtowing...
by gardenspres | May 4, 2019
Christ is risen. Our first Scripture lesson, from the Gospel of Luke 24:1-12, describes the details surrounding Christ’s resurrection that first Easter Sunday. Our second Scripture lesson from 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 explains that Christ will not be the...
by gardenspres | Apr 15, 2019
Naming “The Cross” a shadow of the spiritual life should come as a surprise to no one. The cross, is emblematic not only of Jesus’ faithfulness that led him to willingly suffer for the sake of all of creation, but the cross is also emblematic of the suffering in...
