24
Mar 2023
A recent sermon inspired a kind of social experiment. I was moved by the idea of how one small gift, five loaves and two fish, created a multiplier effect for an entire community. One act of generosity led to communal fulfillment. Pretty cool! So…I decided to invest $100 into something I’m calling Five Dollar Acts of Kindness. We don’t really carry around loaves and fishes in our knapsacks these days, but you can find a can of sardines and a sleeve of saltines at any convenience store or grocery store. In 2023,......
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23
Feb 2023
What Happened to the Sardis Entrance Sign? In late January, a motorist collided with the Sardis entrance sign. Thankfully, nobody was seriously injured in the accident, but our brick sign was reduced to rubble. The destruction of our sign coincided with our congregation beginning a visioning process. Yes, we will eventually replace our sign, and there’s already a team stewarding that work. In the interim, we created a banner featuring a blue Band-Aid. We think it’s a fun and clever way to tell the community we are on the mend. But in......
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02
Dec 2022
2022 Advent Calendars Odds are, you’ll wrap a present this holiday season. And if you wrap a present, you’ll most likely add a bow. Bows are an enhancement. They help us state that a gift is special, and that it comes from a place of love. Bows have other meanings, too. They are indicative of unity – two or more strands become one, and work together for a greater purpose. They also represent the idea of tension and release, as well as completion. Bows can also serve as a symbol of endurance......
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01
Nov 2022
Thanksgiving Thoughts A lost sheep nuzzles into the grass-stained shoulder of a shepherd who’s gone searching for her. An old woman throws a party to celebrate finding the coin that went missing. A daddy streaks across a field to welcome home a son returned from wanderlust. There is joy! There is gratitude! There is reconciliation! In these simple stories, Jesus paints a picture of God’s extravagant love. The most significant being in existence loves us, pursues us, welcomes us, and parents us. Thanks be to God! Still, we struggle to make sense......
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23
Aug 2022
THE WORD OF THE WEEK For many of the Sundays in the Fall, we’ll be exploring one book of scripture per week. I’ll provide an historical overview, as well as a homily centered on a passage that includes a main theme of the overall work. My hope is that you’ll take some time each week to read and explore the book of the week. To help in that endeavor, I’ve included a playful worksheet — it’s just a collection of thoughts I have from each week of study presented in a more......
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02
Jun 2022
June Thoughts During the middle part of May, I was out of the office because of Covid isolation, and didn’t preach last week. I was working on some thoughts regarding Uvalde and Buffalo that I hadn’t quite finished, and then we heard about the events in Tulsa yesterday. My thoughts are too long for our newsletter column, and not quite ready for a sermon. They’re still a little clumsy and lengthy, but I decided I wanted to think out loud today. Here goes: I grew up in Winston-Salem, NC in the late......
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22
Mar 2022
During the Lenten season we will be considering images of table at Sardis. Each Wednesday at Noon, we will host a virtual discussion. This week’s topic is: What Happens at the Table? Click here for the entire schedule. Zoom Discussion, 3/23/2022 at Noon; Check the church email or email the church office for Zoom credentials. Video Devotion: Click here to view the video devotion Printed Devotion: Capturing the Image of Table Session Three If you are unable to join our discussion in real time, please be sure to participate in virtual ways. Comment......
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15
Mar 2022
During the Lenten season we will be considering images of table at Sardis. Each Wednesday at Noon, we will host a virtual discussion. This week’s topic is: What Happens at the Table? Click here for the entire schedule. Zoom Discussion, 3/9/2022 at Noon; Check the church email or email the church office for Zoom credentials. Video Devotion: Click here to view the video devotion Printed Devotion: Capturing the Image of Table Session Two If you are unable to join our discussion in real time, please be sure to participate in virtual ways.......
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07
Mar 2022
During the Lenten season we will be considering images of table at Sardis. Each Wednesday at Noon, we will host a virtual discussion. This week’s topic is: What Happens at the Table? Click here for the entire schedule. Zoom Discussion, 3/9/2022 at Noon; Check the church email or email the church office for Zoom credentials. Video Devotion: Click here to view the video devotion Printed Devotion: Capturing the Image of Table Session One If you are unable to join our discussion in real time, please be sure to participate in virtual ways.......
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07
Mar 2022
Our Lenten theme this year centers around emptying our buckets of those things that are draining us, and re-filling them with life-giving things. Yes, I love puns, but the table fills me up! Really, it does!!! Table, the physical, tangible, and consistent reminder of Communion at Sardis has been inhibited by pandemic. It’s something I miss. It’s something I need. It’s something that gives me energy. It’s something I want to put in my bucket in every season. Pandemic may still be a logistical barrier to our traditional means of Communion. We......
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