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Re-Make

Scripture: Genesis 2:4-7, 2 Corinthians 4:5-15

When I was just a kid, I have this memory of my parents taking me to a swimming class. I loved going swimming, but this swimming class terrified me. The instructor was teaching us how to float, and so to test our skills, he took us out into the deep end of the pool, which I was deathly afraid of. The shallow end was my place. My little feet could touch the bottom. The deep end was the place of nightmares. I wasn’t sure, but I didn’t believe there was a bottom there. But the instructor had us climb in to the deep...

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(posted 11/17/19)

Well, We're Here Now

Scripture: Joshua 24:11-21

In my backyard as a kid, we were blessed to have some fruit trees. One of them was a Chinese pear tree. Just about every year, the tree would bloom and produce these beautiful pale yellow pears, absolutely overflowing, weighing down the branches. If you picked them too early, they would be too sour and hard to eat, but if you waited patiently toward the end of fall, they’d be ready and perfectly crisp and sweet. We could fill baskets full to bring into the house to enjoy. The best thing about this pear tree was that we didn’t plant it. Someone...

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(posted 10/31/19)

Trick Play

Scripture: Joshua 9:1-21

Right now, if you are a fan of some kind of sport, it’s one of the best times of the year. - The Washington Nationals are poised to host their first ever World Series. Go Nats! - There is playoff soccer. - And there are all kinds of football, whatever flavor you might want. What I love about sports is the competitiveness, human beings striving to win in intense games where every play counts. But not only are strength and speed and stamina vital, the great athletes and coaches use their minds to outwit and outmaneuver their opponents. We call them trick plays,...

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(posted 10/20/19)

Crossing Over

Scripture: Joshua 1:1-9, 3:14-17

This morning, I want you to think about those moments in your life when you “crossed over”. Now, I’m not talking about some kind of out of body experience where you died and got to visit heaven for a few hours. Rather, I’m talking about the transitions and experiences in our life that change us, upend us, that mark a significant shift in who we are and how we approach life. Often, they are moments when we leave behind an old version of ourselves and step into a new identity or live more fully into who God created us to be. But...

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(posted 10/8/19)

Don't Get Locked Out

Scripture: Luke 16:19-31

Last summer while my in-laws were here with us from South Korea, we got tickets to head to a baseball game, and as usual, getting six people in the car on the road on time never goes easy. My father-in-law had gone out to the car to make sure our extra back row of seats were up, my son, Joseph, went out to get in his seat early, and everyone else got ready, putting on sunscreen, hats, stocking bags with snacks, and so on. I am pretty sure I was the last one out when I closed the front door,...

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(posted 9/29/19)

What's in Your Wallet?

Scripture: Luke 16:1-13

Over the past few months, I’ve been seeing these troubling stories about the ways debt is messing up our country and people’s lives. We’ve heard about - medical debt preventing some people from getting the treatment they need - student loans weighing down young people trying to get their professional careers started - and even lunch money debt preventing kids from having lunch at school This week, for instance, I received an email from Prince George’s County Public Schools that said starting Monday, kids who owe money or have a $0 account balance can still have lunch in the cafeteria but it...

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(posted 9/22/19)

Lost and Found

Scripture: Luke 15:1-10

When I was about 5 years old, my parents had to do some shopping in the city near where we lived, and so they took me with them to a large department store. My dad needed to go to one side of the store to pick up some things, and my mom needed to go to the other. And in the confusion of the moment, my mom assumed that little 5 year old Nathan, cute as can be, had gone with my father - and my dad assumed that little 5 year old Nathan, cute as can be, had gone...

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(posted 9/15/19)

Does God have your back?

Scripture: Psalm 71:1-6

This week has felt like a week of storms. - Hurricane Dorian is turning towards Georgia and the Carolinas. - More gun violence in west Texas and in communities close to home - Continued protests in Hong Kong - Political scandals, a burning Amazon… And here we are, caught up in the midst of these storms, desperately looking for something to hold on to, sometimes wondering who has our back in these difficult days. About twenty years ago, the Hollywood blockbuster Twister came to theaters, detailing the risky lives of tornado chasers in Oklahoma, scientists who go toward twisters to try to understand...

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(posted 9/3/19)

New Series: Stories that Change Us

Hey Jesus, tell me a story. Clearly according to the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Jesus was a storyteller. Sure, he healed people, did remarkable actions of compassion and protest, and mystified his followers - but he also told wonderful, frustrating, bizarre, and life-changing stories. We call them parables. More than just stories and good yarns, these nuggets offered their hearers alternative ways of understanding God, mercy, compassion, justice, and our world. Sometimes, Jesus said it plainly, like when he said, “Love your enemies.” But sometimes, it seemed that Jesus needed to tell a story to get his point across, so the...

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(posted 8/30/19)

Who Is Going to Take the Lead?

Scripture: Amos 7:7-17

Yesterday, I joined Bill, Smitty, Janise, Karen, and John on a 21 mile bike excursion on the Baltimore-Annapolis trail. It was fun. It was hot. And my legs are not praising God this morning. The rest of me is - but my legs are not happy. Here’s the thing that we did every time we stopped to rest, have a drink of water, or just catch our breath - Smitty or Janise would ask, “Who is going to take the lead?” Who is going to take the lead? Who will set the pace? Who will guide us to where we need to be? Who will take the...

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(posted 8/5/19)

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