Preacher Paul's Blogs

  This Sunday we will turn to Lamentations 3:22-23 and one of Scripture’s hopeful promises: “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, God’s mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”  What makes these words so powerful is that they were not born out of an easy season, but out of devastation and loss. Yet even among the ruins, the writer of Lamentations could still see that God was not finished. Every morning brings new mercy, but it also brings a day we have never lived before, with new people to meet, new opportunities to serve, new blessings to receive, and new work God may be calling us to do.  As you read Lamentations 3:22-23 this week, consider these questions:  What new mercy might God be placing before you today?  What might change if you began each morning believing that some of God’s best gifts for your life may still be ahead of you?

This Sunday we will revisit the account of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden from Genesis 3:8–13. While we often think of this passage as being only about the first sin, it is also about the first excuse. Instead of accepting responsibility, Adam blames Eve, Eve blames the serpent, and the blame game begins.  We'll explore what this story reveals about our own lives, why confession is so much more powerful than excuses, and how God's grace meets us when we honestly admit our need for forgiveness.  As you prepare for worship, read Genesis 3:8–13 and ask yourself:  When am I tempted to blame others instead of taking responsibility for my own actions?   What might change in my relationship with God if I replaced excuses with honest confession?

This Sunday we will reflect on one of Jesus' familiar teachings: "I am the light of the world," and the call to let that light shine through our lives. Together we will explore what it means to receive the light of Christ and to reflect that light through love, mercy, compassion, and faithful discipleship in our everyday lives.  This week, I invite you to ponder these questions:  Where is Christ calling your light to shine in your daily life?  How can someone catch a glimpse of Christ through your words and actions this week?

This Sunday, our Summer Destinations series takes us to a house on Straight Street in Damascus, where Ananias is sent to meet Saul, the very man he has every reason to fear. In “Brother Saul,” we will see that Saul was certain he was serving God, while Ananias was certain Saul did not belong. Yet God interrupts both of their certainty and calls Ananias to welcome Saul as a brother before Saul has done anything to earn that welcome. This story asks us to consider whether we are doing the work of Jesus or simply protecting our own need to be right.  I invite you to ponder these two questions this week as you read Acts 9:1–19:  Whose work are you doing, Jesus’ work or your own?  When you decide who belongs, whose best interest do you truly have at heart: another person’s or your own?

  This week we continue our Summer Destinations journey with Abram in Genesis 12:1-9 and a sermon titled “Destination: TBA.” Most of us like to know where we are going before we begin a trip. We want the route planned, the reservations made, and the details settled. Yet God called Abram to leave everything familiar and begin a journey without knowing the final destination. Abram stepped forward, not because he had all the answers, but because he trusted the God who called him. Along the way, Abram discovered that faith is not always about seeing the entire road ahead.  Sometimes faith is simply trusting God enough to take the next step. As you read this week’s scripture and prepare for worship, consider these questions:  Where might God be calling you to take a step of faith without knowing every detail?  What promise of God helps you keep walking when the road ahead feels uncertain?

This week we continue our Summer Destinations sermon series with a journey to a place no one aboard Paul’s ship wanted to visit: a shipwreck on an unfamiliar shore. In Acts 27:41-44, we discover that after days of storms, the ship carrying Paul and two hundred seventy-six people broke apart, but God was still at work. The ship was lost, the cargo was lost, but not one person was lost.  Sometimes our lives feel the same way. The things we trusted to carry us may fall apart, and we may find ourselves holding onto the broken pieces that remain. Yet this story reminds us that God’s grace is often found in those very pieces, carrying us safely through the storm.  As you read Acts 27:41-44 this week, consider these questions:  What are the “broken pieces” God has used to carry you through difficult seasons?  Where might God’s grace be at work in places you never expected?

  This Sunday we continue our Summer Destinations: Places Where We Meet God sermon series as we journey with Jonah. Trapped in the belly of a great fish, Jonah discovers that God's grace reaches even into the darkest and most hopeless places. Yet the story does not end with Jonah receiving mercy. It challenges us to ask whether we are willing to celebrate that same grace when God extends it to people we struggle to love or forgive. Join us as we reflect on Jonah 2:1–2, 9–10 and are reminded that "Deliverance belongs to the Lord." As you prepare for worship, read Jonah 2:1–2, 9–10 and consider these questions:  Have you ever been grateful for God's grace in your own life while finding it difficult to extend that grace to someone else?  Is there a person or situation where God may be inviting you to show the same mercy you have already received?

  As we continue our summer sermon series, Summer Destinations: Places Where We Meet God , this Sunday we will travel to the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee in Mark 1:16-20. There we find Jesus calling Simon, Andrew, James, and John while they are going about the ordinary routines of their workday. Their story reminds us that God's call does not come only in sanctuaries or special moments. It often comes in the middle of everyday life, inviting us to follow Christ wherever we are. Together we will consider whether we have remained faithful to that call or whether we have allowed the distractions and comforts of life to pull us away from it. Most importantly, we will hear the good news that Christ is still calling and that there is still work for us to do in building God's kingdom. As you prepare for worship, read Mark 1:16-20 and consider these questions:  When did you first sense Christ calling you to follow?  In what ways might God be calling you to serve today?

This Sunday, our Summer Destinations series takes us to the Jordan River in 2 Kings 5:1-14. We will meet Naaman, a powerful military commander who seemed to have everything, yet carried a burden he could not remove. As his story unfolds, we discover that anxiety has a way of focusing our attention on problems, convincing us that everything depends upon us and must happen according to our plans. Yet through a servant girl, a prophet, and the waters of the Jordan, God reveals a different path, one marked by trust rather than control. Naaman's journey reminds us that God is already at work, even when we cannot see it. Join us as we explore how faith helps us move from anxiety to trust and learn what it means to place our confidence in the One who is truly in control. As you prepare for worship, read 2 Kings 5:1-14 and consider these questions:  What burdens or worries are you carrying that may be beyond your control?  Where might God already be at work in your life, even if you c...

As our Summer Destinations series continues this Sunday, we travel to an unlikely place where someone encountered God: a well in Samaria. In John 4:7-26, Jesus stops for a conversation with a woman whom others had overlooked, judged, and avoided. Yet Jesus saw beyond the labels others placed upon her and offered her living water, grace, and a new beginning. In this message, " Rest Stop Along the Way," we will explore what this encounter teaches us about God's unconditional love, our tendency to judge others by outward appearances, and how Christ calls us to see people through different eyes.  As you prepare for worship, consider these questions:  Who are the people that I am tempted to overlook or avoid?  How might God be calling me to "stop at the well" and share grace with someone this week?

This Sunday we begin our "Summer Destinations" sermon series with a journey to Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18:21-39. There, the prophet Elijah challenges the people of Israel to decide whether they will follow the Lord or continue chasing after Baal. While most of us are not tempted by ancient idols, we often find ourselves distracted by the many activities, responsibilities, and pleasures that compete for our attention, especially during the summer months. Together we will explore what it means to make room for God amid the busyness of life.  As you prepare for worship, consider these questions:  What "Baals of summer" compete for your attention and devotion?  How can you intentionally make time to encounter God this week?

  IT’S SUMMERTIME!   Pack your bags and join Pastor Paul as we journey through some of the Bible's most memorable destinations. From mountaintops and lakeshores to oceans and dusty roads, Scripture is filled with stories of people who encountered God in unexpected places. Our summer sermon series, " Summer Destinations: Places Where We Meet God," will explore how these familiar settings became sacred spaces where lives were changed and faith was strengthened.   Along the way, we will travel with Elijah on Mount Carmel, stand beside the woman at the well, watch Naaman find healing in the Jordan River, sail with Jonah through a stormy sea, and accompany Abraham and Paul on life-changing journeys. Each destination reminds us that God is not confined to a sanctuary or a particular place. God meets people wherever they are and often when they least expect it.   Whether your summer plans include a trip to the mountains, a visit to the beach, time at the lake, or s...

As we gather for Trinity Sunday, we will explore one of the deepest mysteries of the Christian faith through Jesus’ words in John 16:12-15. In a sermon titled “The Divine Dance,” we will reflect on the mysterious image of the Trinity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit moving together in perfect love, creation, redemption, and sustaining grace. While we may never fully understand the mystery of the Trinity, we are invited to experience the presence of the God who never stops creating, redeeming, and sustaining us.  This week, as you prepare for worship, consider these questions:  Where have you seen the sustaining presence of God in your own life recently?  And how might God be inviting you to join more fully in the rhythm of divine love and grace?

This Pentecost Sunday, we will reflect on Jesus’ promise in John 14:15–18 that we are never alone. In a sermon titled “A Friend for Life,” we will explore the meaning of the Greek word paraklētos , often translated as Advocate, and consider how the Holy Spirit comes alongside us as Counselor, Helper, and Companion. Whether we need wisdom, strength, or simply the assurance that God is near, the Holy Spirit remains with us and will never leave us orphaned.  As you prepare for worship, ask yourself:  When have you sensed the Holy Spirit guiding or strengthening you?  How might God be reminding you this week that you are never alone?

As we celebrate Ascension Sunday, we will reflect on Acts of the Apostles 1:1–11 in a sermon titled “Book III.” Luke tells us that the Gospel of Luke was the first volume and the Book of Acts was the second. Together, they remind us that the story of Jesus did not end with the resurrection or the ascension. The work Christ began continued through the disciples and now continues through the church. In many ways, our lives are part of “Book III,” the next chapter in the ongoing story of God's work in the world.  As you prepare for worship, consider these questions:  What am I adding to the story Christ is still writing?  How is God calling me to continue the work Jesus began? 

This Sunday we will take a closer look at one of the most familiar verses in all of Scripture, John 3:16 , and consider how it speaks to us in ways we may have overlooked. Many of us can recite it from memory, but the words Jesus spoke to Nicodemus were far more surprising and demanding than we often realize. We will explore how God’s love reaches beyond every boundary, how believing is more than agreeing in our minds but trusting with our lives, and how the life Jesus offers is not just something we wait for someday but something we begin living right now.  As you prepare for worship, take some time to reflect on this passage and ask yourself:  Do I truly trust Christ with my life, or just believe certain things about Christ?  And how might God be calling me to live differently right now because of that love?

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?