Preacher Paul's Blogs

During last week’s sermon on Acts 2, I made reference to the “Holy Catholic Church” and mentioned that two of the most common questions Presbyterian clergy receive about the Apostles’ Creed involve the meaning of “the holy catholic church,” which is often confused or conflated with the Roman Catholic Church, and the line where we proclaim that Jesus “descended into hell.” I told you that would be a sermon for another Sunday, and many of you reached out to ask how long you would have to wait. The answer is not long. This will done in the sermon and not in the form of a seminary theology lecture.   During the sermon, we will reflect on Psalm 139:7–12 and the powerful truth that there is nowhere we can go where God is not already present. This sermon, “Out of Every Darkness,” will take us into that difficult line of the Creed and explore what it means for our lives today. We will consider how this phrase has been understood throughout church history and then focus on how the Ref...

As we prepare for this Sunday, we will turn to Acts 2:42–47 and reflect on what it means to be the church at its most basic level. In this sermon, “Back to Basics,” we will look at the earliest community of believers and consider how they were united in Christ, how they cared for one another in real and tangible ways, and how they gathered together with joy and purpose. Their example reminds us that the church is not simply something we attend, but a community we belong to, shaped by shared faith, mutual care, and regular fellowship. This passage invites us to rediscover what it looks like to live as one body in Christ and to ask whether these same marks of the early church are visible in our own life together.  As you reflect on this passage this week,  Where do you see opportunities to strengthen your connection to the body of Christ and How might God be calling you to care more intentionally for someone within it?

This Sunday, we will reflect on the story of the road to Emmaus from Luke 24:13–35 and consider how the risen Christ is often present in our lives in ways we do not immediately recognize. Like the two disciples who walked and talked with Jesus without knowing who was beside them, we too can miss Christ in the ordinary moments of life, especially when we are distracted, discouraged, or simply not looking. Yet this story reminds us that Christ meets us on the road, opens the Scriptures to us, and is revealed in simple acts like the breaking of bread. It also challenges us to think about how others might experience Christ through us in our daily actions.  Things to ponder this week. Where might Christ be showing up in your life right now that you have not yet recognized?  And how might someone else encounter Christ through you this week?

This Sunday’s sermon, “What Changed?”, invites us to step back into that first Easter evening when the disciples were still hiding in fear, uncertain and overwhelmed, and then to see what happened when the risen Christ stood among them and spoke peace. Something shifted in that room, and it was more than relief or reassurance. It was transformation.  The same question is placed before us: what has it changed in our lives since meeting Christ? Has it moved us from fear to faith, from routine to purpose, from silence to sharing the good news?  As you prepare for worship, take some time to reflect on this:  what has truly changed in your life because of the resurrection,  and where might Christ be calling you to rediscover that fire?

As we come to Easter Sunday, we turn to John 20:1–18 and the powerful truth at the heart of our faith: the resurrection of Jesus Christ changes everything. This week’s sermon, “I Give Up… Hopelessness,” focuses not on the absence of hope, but on the sure and unshakable hope that is born from the empty tomb. Mary Magdalene arrives in grief and confusion, but she leaves as the first witness to the resurrection, proclaiming, “I have seen the Lord.” Easter reminds us that the cross was not the end, that sin and death have been defeated, and that God has acted decisively on our behalf. Because Christ is risen, we are not forgotten, not beyond grace, and not without a future. The resurrection is not just something that happened long ago. It is the promise that shapes our lives right now and secures our future with God.  As you prepare for worship, consider this:  What does the resurrection mean for your life today?  And how might you live differently this week if you truly bel...