Something to Eat
Sabbath Day Thoughts — “Something to Eat” Matthew 14:13-21 If your last trip to the grocery store left you scratching your head and wondering where the money goes, you are not alone. U.S. consumer prices rose 3.4% between August 2025 and August 2026 with a number of economic factors contributing to that spike. Gasoline prices…
Invite Everyone
Sabbath Day Thoughts — “Invite Everyone” Matthew 22:1-14 July third was the wedding of the decade as singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chief’s tight end Travis Kelce tied the knot in Madison Square Garden with 1,000 of their closest friends in attendance. The bride and groom both wore white—a custom haute couture gown and…
Bear with Me
Sabbath Day Thoughts — “Bear with Me” 1 Cor. 1:10-18, Eph. 4:1-3 Wherever two or more are gathered, we can trust that there will likely be a quarrel. We may like one another well enough now, but this church has a uniquely fractious history. It dates to our earliest years. In July of 1890, Rev.…
The Healing Trees
Sabbath Day Thoughts — “The Healing Trees” Ezekiel 47:6b-12 and Revelation 22:1-5 The Fortingall yew is the oldest tree in Scotland, and perhaps all of Europe. At 5,000 years old, the tree was already ancient when the Prophet Ezekiel languished in exile in Babylon and Jesus strode out of Galilee and shook things up in…
Late Comers
Sabbath Day Thoughts — “Late Comers” Matthew 20:1-16 Many years ago, before I went to seminary, I was a young adult living in a diverse urban neighborhood. My daily path to work took me past the local 7-11 convenience store. What I remember most about the 7-11 was the crowd of Hispanic men who hung…
The Economy of Grace
Sabbath Day Thoughts — “The Economy of Grace” Matthew 18:21-35 This week marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11. In lower Manhattan on Friday, family members read aloud the names of the 2,977 people killed in the attack on the twin towers. In that field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, National Park Service employees rang bells for each…
Truth and Reconciliation
Sabbath Day Thoughts — “Truth and Reconciliation” Matthew 18:15-20 Marty hasn’t spoken to his brothers in decades. It all started Thanksgiving of 1980. The whole family gathered at Marty’s home for dinner. Marty’s wife Lois cooked the most beautiful meal. She made cranberry relish, giblet gravy, and the turkey, roasted to perfection. It’s too bad…
Who Me?
Sabbath Day Thoughts — “Who Me?” Exodus 3:1-12 God knew the suffering of God’s people. A new leader rose to power. He stirred memories of former greatness and fanned the flames of national pride. He promised a better future and denounced the evil of other nations. He saw enemies everywhere. They practiced other faiths, loved…
Church Building
Sabbath Day Thoughts — “Church Building” Matthew 16:13-20 Every church building has a story. Westminster Church in Wilmington, Delaware, where I served many years ago, is a big congregation with humble beginnings. It was launched in 1857 as a Mission Sunday School. Its sole purpose was to share the gospel through Christian Education. The school…
A Bigger Table
Sabbath Day Thoughts — “A Bigger Table” Matthew 15:10-28 Immigration is a fraught subject in our nation. Since January 2025, agents of ICE and Customs and Border Patrol have made 582,040 immigration arrests. Over the same period, we have deported 590,600 people, sending them to either their countries of origin or third-party countries willing to…
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