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A childlike spirit is the litmus test for spiritual maturity and against spiritual disorder. Not all spiritual growth is healthy. The Chinese has a term “Zouhuo Rumo 走火入魔,” which is equivalent to Kundalini Syndrome, a condition when a spiritual pactice gets derailed or melfunctioned that leads to mental and emotional disorders. In Christianity, I would call it Pharisee Syndrome. Pharisees are very spiritual people. They are very "faithful" to the scriptures, but according to Jesus, they are not "fruitful" because they got stuck in their egos and arrogance that caused the spiritual disorder.

God’s people have always sought to listen for the voice of God; seeing how the Word of God shows up from the Old Testament into the New Testament helps us understand the voice of God in our world today.

We continue in our journey through the book of Ephesians today, and our text for today comes from the Lectionary is Ephesians 5:15-20 . So lets jump in and see what God has for us in our reading from the Holy Bible. Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the…

What is going on here? Supposed to be going ito Advent, into the Christmas season, looking forward to celebrating the Christ child in our midst, and yet, here we are, with Jesus, talking about the end of the world Not only that, but this first Sunday of Advent is supposed to be on the them of hope, yet…

Often we think that we are the ones who approach God; in fact, it is God who approaches us. How does your life form a response to God?

As I get older I find myself doing and saying things I thought I would never do and say. Is it just me, but as I get to a certain age I find myself looking back and reflecting on how things have changed. Although there are people here older and wiser than me, even at the age of 55 when I reflect on how…

I’m not sure if you would agree with me, but I find sometimes things that are shocking seem even more difficult to hear when it comes from certain individuals. It could just be a media storm in a teacup, but I heard yesterday that the Church of England had issued a statement encouraging worshippers to…

Prayer and Fasting On occasion, every priest will have something on his mind that he would like to communicate with his parish, but the Sunday lectionary doesn’t exactly agree. The readings point in one direction, while the priest wants to go another. Today is not one of those Sundays. In fact, because…

God’s got my attention in two ways this week. One way has to do with power; and the other with what it means to take hands, to be in relationship with one another. First up, power. I have this thing that I’ve noticed which I think might be one of the way God gets my attention. I’ll often have songs in…

Let us pray…Gracious and loving God, on this day when we remember all those who have come home to sit at the foot of your throne, help in this time and space to hear words of wisdom, peace, and especially comfort this day. Now, o God, help us to open our ears to hear and our eyes to envision you and…

Lectionary Readings Job 23:2 (NIV) “Even today my complaint is bitter” Psalm 22:1 (NIV) My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times, for the times are evil. Jesus looked at him and loved him.…

Choose faithfulness to Christ over perceived fairness in the world

The challenge we always have with texts in or around the High celebrations of the church, such as Christmas and Easter is their familiarity. One could easily find a text in say Habakkuk, or perhaps Revelation with which most of you would be unfamiliar. Still, the challenge for all of us is to be listening…

Unfolding story of Genesis Series of crises that shape the story of God and God’s people. Adam and Eve Noah and his family Abram and Sarai Abraham and Isaac Jacob and Esau Grasping of the heel The birthright and the red stew The Father’s blessing Jacob gets his name from his relationship with Esau. Supplanter.…

Continue 2021 Series - Jesus is In! All the OT scriptures point to Jesus Luke 24:27 - the men from Emmaus Scriptures testify “about me” John 5:39 He is sovereign / our reigning King Chronicles - Bible’s best kept secret First 9 chapters cause many to steer clear - 936 names Chronicles - not in the 3-year…

The heavenly Father is always ready to give what we need; sometimes the question is if we are ready to receive it.

Well, I’ve got another passage that preachers LOVE to get. So many different strands to go down, but as I was preparing this sermon I had to keep reminding myself of the challenge God laid down to me last week - “don’t overcomplicate my promises with your ‘educated’ mind. But this week, you’ll be delighted…

Starting at the End I’ve said many times that the Christian life is the process of becoming who we already are in Jesus Christ. That is to say, when you were baptized, you were baptized into Christ, and in Christ, you already are everything that you ever will be. The Christian life then begins at the…

Rev Angus Kelly Its good to be with you again - especially after the tense week or so we’ve just had. So many stories of heartbreak. Caused by taxi tensions in our land. And it might be easy to say - O those taxi drivers - they are our pet gripe. Its hard to develop a WHOLE picture of what is happening.…

Chad Bird, in the foreword to a Lutheran devotional I love - the Sinner / Saint Devotional: Advent and Christmas, sums up my own feelings about Advent beautifully: “Advent is, in my opinion, the most wonderful time of the year. A month pregnant with hope. A month that whispers, amidst the guffaws and…

Choose the Right Side As many of you know, the thing I like to talk the least about is money. I’m happy to stand here and ask for help when one of our brothers or sisters is in need, but talking about the offering or church finances publically makes me terribly uncomfortable. I was having a conversation…

40 Days in the Wilderness Every First Sunday of Lent, whether we are in Year A, B, or C, the lectionary has the Temptation of Jesus featured in the Gospel reading. This is because our 40 days of lenten devotion are to be modeled off of Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the wilderness. Unique to Year B, however,…

I got a speed ticket this summer in Upstate New York while traveling to a retreat center. This is a reflection on the incident based on Jesus' Parable of the Prodigal Manager recorded in Luke 16:1-13, a Lectionary passage of the week.