A few years ago, a movie entitled “Pay It Forward” became an overnight sensation. Its plot is actually pretty simple: A 12-year-old schoolboy in Las Vegas, named Trevor, is given a class project to complete by his social studies teacher. His task is to come up with a plan that will change the world through direct action. On his way home from school later that day, Trevor notices a homeless man and decides to make a difference in Jerry’s life. Trevor then comes up with the plan to “pay it...

Since I’ve been your Interim Pastor in the last fifteen months, you may have noticed that the Sunday worship bulletin has been different: other than the obvious “Order of Service,” there are intentional pages and sections — such as the “Welcome” page, the “Announcements” page, the “Prayer Concerns” section, the “Daily Lectionary Readings for This Week” section, the ever-popular “What Happened on This Day in Christian History” box, and the “Church Weekly Calendar.” But have you ever noticed...

In Luke’s Gospel, there’s this one strange expression Jesus used that must have startled his disciples when addressing Peter: “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat” (Luke 22:31, NRSV). Have you ever felt what it’s like to be sifted like wheat? It’s certainly not an expression we use much today. It means to pull apart, to fragment, and even to separate violently. You feel being sifted like wheat when life tears you apart. When some circumstance, uncertainty,...