Jesus is clear. To be his disciples, to enter the Kingdom of God, we must deny ourselves, pick up our crosses, and follow him! That’s a lot, don’t you think? Ever since Jesus’ death nearly 2,000 years ago, there has been a steady trail of those who have given up their lives for him, or…
This year for Lent, we are looking at the different things we can “give up” that have more to do with our heart and minds than our habits and waistlines. Giving up control – expectations – superiority – and today, our enemies. Enemies are interesting to ponder… I wonder, do we really have enemies? I…
A young psychology student serving in the Army decided to test a theory. Drawing kitchen duty, he was given the job of passing out apricots at the end of the food line. He asked the first soldiers that came by, “You don’t want any apricots, do you?” Ninety percent said “No.” Then he tried a…
During Lent, people of all stripes of Christian, and even some non Christians, will participate in the tradition of GIVING UP SOMETHING FOR LENT. Often it will be the giving up of a bad habit, likely having something to do with a healthier lifestyle – giving up processed sugars or alcohol. Sometimes it entails taking…
I wonder…What would it be like to be in the very presence of God? We can only imagine! It seems that only happens in stories of heroic characters in the Bible. Take Moses for example. That must have been an amazing encounter. Because when he returned from his visits with God on Mt. Sinai, Moses’…
This is week three of my little series working our way through the three ways we go about Sharing Christ and Changing Lives here at Union Congregational Church of Groton. Creating a Christian foundation for families Learning more about Jesus Living our faith beyond our walls As we prepare to discuss our potential building project,…
This is the second of three sermons on the three primary ways we go about Sharing Christ and Changing Lives, as we prepare to discuss a potential building project to better fulfill this purpose. Last week we looked at the importance of the firm foundation of anything and everything we do here Jesus Christ…
Several years ago, the Church Council (our church’s governing body), very aware of the needs we have as a church re: our building (accessibility issues and deferred maintenance needs), formed a Facilities Task Force, whose job was to assess the current state of our buildings and our needs for improvements. That list was long and…
This is the last in our series on the Angels of Advent and Christmas. We met the angel Gabriel twicefirst when he visited Zechariah, Jesus’ uncle; and then when he announced to Mary that she would be the mother of the Messiah. Then an unnamed angel spoke to Joseph in a dream that he should…
For the past three weeks here, we’ve been listening to the angels of Christmas. First actually before he appears to Mary the angel Gabriel appears to Jesus’ uncle Zechariah with the good news that he and his wife Elizabeth, though they are VERY old, will have the son they have longed for their…