Love One Another

Rev. Dr. David D. M. King The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 18ARomans 13:8-14 In the United Methodist tradition we have something called the Historic Examination. These are the questions that John Wesley used to ask of his traveling preachers, and they have been ask of those who are about to be ordained from the … [Read more…]

Campfire in the ZoomYard

It’s our tradition to gather at this time of the year for Campfire in the Courtyard. Since we can’t yet gather in person, we’ll gather using Zoom. On Sunday, September 6, at 7 pm, join us for a campfire, singing, and stories. Login with this address greaternw.zoom.us/j/91922325473 or with the Meeting ID: 919 2232 5473. … [Read more…]

September Messenger

As we continue in the liturgical season of “Ordinary Time” in September, we will consider scriptures from the Gospel of Matthew and the letters of Paul. We contemplate two of Jesus’ parables, one about the power and re- sponsibility of forgiveness and the other about jealousy and the overwhelming power of God’s grace. From the … [Read more…]

Get Behind Me

Rev. Dr. David D. M. King The Thirteenth Sunday after PentecostMatthew 16:21-28 Today’s sermon is about Rocky. No, it’s not about the boxer portrayed by Sylvester Stallone. It’s about the apostle Peter. Peter isn’t his given name though. You might remember, when Jesus called him, his name was Simon. But Jesus gave him a nickname. … [Read more…]

Crumbs from Your Table

Rev Dr. David D. M. King The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 15AMatthew 15:21-28 I have always found the story from Matthew today to be one of the most disturbing in the Gospels. The version in Mark is about Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman. Here in Matthew it is the story of Jesus and the … [Read more…]

Walking on the Sea

Rev. Dr. David D. M. King The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 14AMatthew 14:22-33 There certainly is a lot of power on display in the gospel lesson today. Jesus performs all sorts of impressive miracles. But we’re likely to miss quite a lot of the significance if we just focus on the power and the … [Read more…]

Wrestling Jacob

by Rev. Dr. David D. M. King The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 13AGenesis 32:22-31 The passage that we have from the Book of Genesis this morning is such a good story.  There are some bible passages that are good because they contain really good doctrine, really good theology. There are some bible passages that … [Read more…]

August Messenger

During the month of August, we’ll be ex- ploring the books of Genesis, Exodus, and Matthew. From Genesis, we’ll see how Jacob wrestled with God and won. From Exodus, we’ll hear the story of five faithful woman who did God’s will by breaking the law. And from Matthew, we’ll read three stories of Jesus and … [Read more…]

Who Will Separate Us?

Rev. Dr. David D. M. KingThe Eighth Sunday after PentecostRomans 8:26-39 This text from Romans today is a favorite of preachers. There’s a lot of good material in those few verses. I once heard the famed preacher Fred Craddock preach a forty-five minute sermon on just one sentence from this passage: we do not know … [Read more…]

Phase 2 Reopening

On Friday, we received approval to enter Phase 2 of the bishop’s reopening plan. This allows designated people to resume routine work in and around the building, and it increases the total number of people allowed in the church facility at any one time to 10. It also allows the Montessori School to operate so … [Read more…]