Mark 1:29-39The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany Poor Jesus, he just can’t seem to get a break. He sneaks out of the house early in the morning and heads out to the wilderness to spend a little time in prayer. He just needs a few minutes to himself. He hasn’t been doing ministry for very … [Read more…]
The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany1 Corinthians 8:1-13 It’s a very strange text we have from 1 Corinthians this morning. It seems very foreign, doesn’t it? Meat sacrificed to idols. What is Paul even talking about? And this isn’t the only place that Paul talks about idol meat. Why would he spend so much time … [Read more…]
Sunday 7 January 2024Baptism of the Lord Genesis 1:1-5; Mark 1:4-11 Today we are celebrating the holiday known as Baptism of the Lord. In it, we remember the time when Jesus himself was baptized, baptized by John in the Jordan River. It is often also a time when we reflect on our own baptism, about … [Read more…]
Sunday 22 October 2023The Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost Matthew 22:15-22 Jesus is now in Jerusalem, not far from the cross. He has gained a core of followers, women and men who have followed him from Galilee. He has made a name for himself. He has begun to stir up trouble, both with the religious and … [Read more…]
The Third Sunday after Pentecost Two weeks ago, United Methodists from Oregon and Idaho gathered in Meridian for an Annual Conference. I always think the highlight of Annual Conference is the commissioning and ordination worship service. There’s nothing quite like it in non-Methodist traditions. Prospective clergypersons are first reviewed by their home congregations, then by … [Read more…]
Rev. Dr. David D. M. King, OSLEpiphany of the Lord Isaiah 60:1–6, Matthew 2:1–12 Today we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany. So what does that mean? As with so many things in the church, it comes from Greek. Epiphany means to appear, or to appear in the flesh. It was a word often used … [Read more…]
Sunday 16 October 2022The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecostby Rev. Dr. David Dean Mimier King Luke 18:1-8 Jesus has a problem. His disciples are losing heart with their prayers. They are getting tired of praying over and over for things that God is just not providing. They are tired of praying for the liberation of the … [Read more…]
Rev. Dr. David D. M. King, OSL The Eighth Sunday after PentecostLuke 12:13-21 Today we have to tackle the single most difficult topic in the Bible. It’s more difficult than politics, more difficult than all of the details of religious doctrine, more difficult than sex. And surprisingly, though this topic is very difficult to talk … [Read more…]
Rev. Dr. David D. M. King, OSLLuke 11:1-13 Jesus’s disciples ask him, “Teach us to pray. And Jesus responds to them with words that sound somewhat familiar, and also a little off. I’m going to read it again from Luke, but from a translation that is a little closer to the version we use each … [Read more…]
The Fourth Sunday after PentecostRev. Dr. David D. M. King, OSL Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 We find ourselves at the beginning of Jesus’s journey to Jerusalem. Toward the end of chapter 9, Luke tells us, “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” For the … [Read more…]
Sunday 12 June 2022Trinity Sunday, Peace With Justice Sunday Rev. Dr. David D. M. King, OSL Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 Today is the day in the church year that we call Trinity Sunday. It’s the day we celebrate the one God that we know in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—the Creator, … [Read more…]
Sunday 5 June 2022Pentecost Sunday Rev. Dr. David D. M. King, OSL Acts 2:1-21 Today is the festival of Pentecost. It is named Pentecost because it happens on the fiftieth and final day of the Season of Easter. It was already a festival in the Jewish Calendar, occurring 50 days after the Passover. In the … [Read more…]
Rev. Dr. David D. M. King, OSL Sunday 22 May 2022The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost Acts 16:6-15 It has been a hard time for Paul. Things had been going fairly well in his mission to the Gentiles. But then other missionaries started showing up, interfering with his methods, and telling him that he should stop. … [Read more…]
Rev. Dr. David D. M. King, OSL Sunday 15 May 2022The Fifth Sunday of Easter Acts 11:1-18 We as the church have a problem. On the one hand, we know that as Christians we have certain standards to maintain. There are certain boundaries that we are supposed to uphold. There is a limit to what … [Read more…]
Rev. Dr. David D. M. King, OSL Sunday 1 May 2022The Third Sunday of Easter Acts 9:1-20 Saul of Tarsus. Known throughout the land as the archenemy of the disciples of Christ. He is the villain, persecuting anyone who believes in Jesus. But he is beloved by the religious authorities. He is zealous for the … [Read more…]
Rev. Dr. David D. M. King, OSL Sunday 17 April 2022Easter Sunday Luke 24:1-12 Doubtless nearly everyone here has heard the story of Easter before. In fact, it is such a familiar story that we hardly even take note of it anymore at all. Early in the morning the women come to the tomb. They … [Read more…]
Rev. Dr. David D. M. King, OSL Sunday 27 March 2022The Fourth Sunday in Lent Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 Today, on the fourth Sunday of Lent, we turn to one of the best known and best loved of Jesus’s parables, the Parable of the Prodigal Son. It appears only in the gospel of Luke, and is … [Read more…]
Rev. Dr. David D. M. King The Twenty-first Sunday after PentecostJob 23:1-9, 16-17 Last week we started exploring the story a Job, a man from the ancient middle east, maybe around the time of Abraham and Sarah. He’s known for integrity and faithfulness. Because of a wager between God and the satan, he undergoes a … [Read more…]
By Rev. Dr. David D. M. King Worship Communion SundayJob 1:1; 2:1–10 This Sunday we are starting a four week journey through the Book of Job. This ancient book explores the nature of human suffering. Does God reward people who do the right thing by giving them an easier life? If I am suffering, is … [Read more…]
By Rev. Dr. David D. M. King The Eighteenth Sunday after PentecostMark 9:38-50 “Teacher, we saw someone throwing demons out in your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.” Sometimes we talk about schism in the church. Schism is just a fancy Greek word for break or fracture. Sometimes the … [Read more…]