In Sunday worship and in our Thursday Bible studies for the next year we will be studying scriptures suggested by Brian McLaren in his book, We Make the Road By Walking.  Our topic this week is Spirit of Love: Loving Neighbor.  We will read the amazing story in Act 10 where Peter is given a vision from God about including all in God’s family, which leads him to conclude, “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” (Acts 48:35-36).  May our hearts be as open as the heart of God! 

In Sunday worship and in our Thursday Bible studies for the next year we will be studying scriptures suggested by Brian McLaren in his book, We Make the Road By Walking.  This week, we will focus on Ephesians 3:14-21, one of the texts suggested for the topic Spirit of Love: Loving God.  We will reflect on what it means to love God and how we show our love for God.

peace, Ernie

To listen to this message, click on SPIRIT OF LOVE-LOVING GOD

In Sunday worship and in our Thursday Bible studies for the next year we will be studying scriptures suggested by Brian McLaren in his book, We Make the Road By Walking.  This week, we will focus on Galatians 5:1,13-26 as the main text for our topic, Moving With the Spirit.  McLaren says, “We are surrounded with the aliveness of the Spirit.  All that remains is for us to learn how to let the Spirit fill, flow, and glow within us.”  May we learn how to move with the Spirit who leads us to walk in Christ’s Way.

Peace, Ernie

To listen to this message, click on MOVING WITH THE SPIRIT

St Andrew’s will undertake A Year-Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation and Activation, June 2022 through June 2023, by reflecting together in our weekly Thursday Zoom Bible studies and Sunday worship services on Scripture and Brian McLaren’s book, We Make the Way By Walking.   In the preface McLaren writes: “The road of faith is not finished.  There is beautiful land ahead, terra nova waiting to be explored.  It will take a lot of us, journeying together, to make the road.  I hope you’ll be part of the adventure.  The Christian faith is still learning, growing, and changing, and so are we.” (xiv)

We begin this intentional journey of learning, growth, and change this coming Sunday, June 5, with a message for Pentecost titled, The Spirit Is Moving! (See Acts 2:1-21)  You can view the schedule of topics and scriptures for each week by clicking on We Make the Road By Walking which will take you to a page on the St. Andrew’s website.

I am excited by what we will learn together in the coming year.

Peace, Ernie

To listen to this week’s message, just click on The Spirit Is Moving!

The 23rd Psalm is read at almost every Christian or Jewish funeral.  Likely it will be read at the upcoming funerals for the two teachers and the elementary school students who were murdered Tuesday in another mass shooting.  This Sunday, with heavy and questioning hearts, we will ponder this classic psalm and offer prayers for the victims and their families.  We will also listen to Ezekiel’s prophetic critique of leaders who were not “good shepherds,” who were not protecting their people (see Ezekiel 34).  May our elected leaders protect our people from violent death from guns.

peace, Ernie

To listen to my message, click on Through a Dark Valley, Again

This Sunday, May 15, the focus of our worship service will be on Creation Care.  Psalm 148 describes how all of creation is made to praise God the creator.  But Romans 8 confirms what environmental and climate scientists have observed:  the creation made for praise is suffering and groaning, and is waiting for human beings to provide some relief.  May we hear the groans of God’s creation and do what needs to be done!

peace, Ernie

To listen to my message, just click on The Creation Praises, Groans, and Waits

This Sunday we will celebrate A Most Meaningful Communion.  It will be our first on a Sunday morning since we ceased in 2020 due to the pandemic.  This week’s passage from John 6:48-69 challenges us to think deeply about what we are doing when we participate in the strange and mysterious ritual we call The Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion or the Eucharist.  Come with open hearts and open minds and receive this precious gift from God.

peace, Ernie

“All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voice and with us sing, Alleluia! Alleluia!”  All creatures, all beings, are called to praise God the creator.  That includes us human beings. So on this Earth Sunday we will reflect on God’s creation and on our special responsibility to care for it.   To listen to audio of my message, just click on Caring for God’s Creation

blessings, Ernie

p.s. This Sunday we will also install elders Ish Mendonsa, Barb Stanton, and Decky Thornton who were elected at the February annual meeting to serve on Session.

During the season of Lent, and this last week in Holy Week, we focused on growing gardens, tending the life that is right in front of us, rather than constantly climbing ladders of what this world defines as success. We have been embracing “good enough” lives and “good enough” selves that are worthy of love, no matter what. We have been acknowledging the suffering that is a natural part of life, and we have practiced compassion as we deal with the realities and limitations that invite us to let go of perfectionism and the incessant drive toward something other than our own real, holy, and “blessed-regardless” lives. And now we encounter Easter. It is a day we proclaim that while death is a part of life–even little “deaths” along the way of dreams, of love, of the way we thought life would go–even though this is a part of life, we are part of a faith that invites us to consider that the Good Gardener is always tending us, abiding with us, beyond any kind of death that faces us.  To listen to today’s message, from a devotional by Dr. Kate Bowler, click on The Good Gardener

peace, Ernie

 Our Easter Sunday service is April 17 at 10 a.m.  All are welcome to join us for a joyous celebration of the resurrection with glorious music. Bring flowers to fill our Easter Cross.  Come join the choir at the end of the service as we joyfully sing the “Hallelujah Chorus” to celebrate Christ’s resurrection and victory over death.

We stand at the precipice of Lent and Holy Week. The drama of the story of Jesus’ last week reads like the book of our lives. Feeling hopeful one moment, we plummet the next as we deal with disappointment, danger, and grief. God’s incarnation on earth was not immune from this roller-coaster we call life.