St James Presbyterian Church

Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said…

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see…

This week we are in the early days of Jesus’ public activity, where he is baptized and performs his first miracle in the book of John. Remember, last week, we heard Jesus put out the all points bulletin — Come and See. Come and see what God is doing, come take part, come serve and give and receive and…

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city…

On this Third Sunday of Advent, we tell of joy! Joy, joy, joy! While we are yet in the season of waiting, Joy bubbles up in us as we rest assured of God’s promises. Joy is an active word. In the sense that joy takes place in the present moment. While hope anticipates the coming of God’s peace, shalom,…

Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities. When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”…

First Sunday of Advent

Jeremiah 29:1 , 4–14 These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God…

But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have…

Alright, we’re continuing through the narrative of the Scriptures, fully embedded now in the Prophets of Israel. Historically, we’re looking at the last 1000 years or so BCE. It’s a time of building, geopolitical change, and the evolution of the Israelite understanding of prophecy, the divine word of…

Be still. Peace. Be still. There is a lot of noise in my life right now. A lot of things vying for my heart and attention. These things include the normal parts of being a parent and in middle age, like making sure permission slips are filled out and quarterly taxes paid. But it also includes the immensity…

God does not look on outward appearance but on the heart; create in me a clean heart.

Alright, as we know, we’re going through a narrative arc of the Scriptures this year. We’re not hitting every story, but touching on many major points in the unfolding story of the people of Israel, the mission of Jesus, and the early church. We want to gain a sense of the scope AND look at how people’s…

What is the name of God? How dare we seek to name that which is beyond all names? Can God have a name? Can we fathom it? These questions have been central to my faith and it’s evolution over the last 20 years. In my early twenties, I had grown quite disenchanted with many of the popular, evangelical,…

Today, we continue our series of the narrative lectionary, the sacred mythos, the world of the Bible and God’s unfolding narrative of blessing humanity. We began a couple weeks ago with the Creation story. God’s presence hovers over the chaos of our lives and speaks the enchanted cosmos into being. And…

Today we continue in the beginning of the narrative arc of the Scriptures, moving from the stories of Creation to settle into the more up-close family drama of Abraham and Sarah. The cosmic God has moved closer to humanity. There is a lot to explore in this upcoming reading and I’m going to do my best…

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated…

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.”…

Setting the stage of the human condition. Guilt through idolatry. Justification through Christ.