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Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 4:8-11 Use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace. . . . 1 Peter 4:10 It was Easter morning, and I was excited to be part of the church service that day. My ideas and sermon were ready to go. I was anticipating a great...

Scripture Reading — Acts 28:1-10 Publius . . . welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. Acts 28:7 Paul was on a ship with 275 other men riding out a storm that they could have avoided. Nevertheless, God had a plan. They were shipwrecked on an island where...

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 4:8-17 “Let’s make a small room . . . for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.” 2 Kings 4:10 We have a guest room in our house. It gets used on a regular basis. My mother uses it when she comes to visit, our grandkids use it for sleepovers, and...

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 29:4-7 “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you. . . . Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:7 Carrots and potatoes and peas—oh, my! Actually many kinds of vegetables show up in this...

Scripture Reading — Luke 4:14-21 “The Spirit of the Lord . . . has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners. . . .” Luke 4:18 In our city there is a center for forensic mental health. Part of its work involves care for people with mental illness who have been part of the criminal justice...

Scripture Reading — Matthew 10:40-42 “If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” Matthew 10:42 I’m not sure how widespread the tradition is in your area, but when the 13th of the...

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:14-16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 I was intrigued by a church’s vision statement for 2026: “Empowering believers to embody Christlike values in their...

Scripture Reading — John 1:14-18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. John 1:18 One of our latest adventures in the past year has been to invite about 10 people at random to our home for...

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:3-12 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9 J. John, an evangelist and speaker from the United Kingdom, has said there are two reasons why someone is not a Christian. The first is that they have never met a Christian...

Scripture Reading — Acts 16:11-15 “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” Acts 16:15 The door of our church can be opened by pressing a “Push to Open” plate, and on Sunday mornings a greeter stands there to welcome people coming in. As they approach...

Scripture Reading — Acts 8:1-8 There was great joy in that city. Acts 8:8 Our reading today describes a great persecution against the church of Jesus and how people like Philip responded. Saul (also known as Paul) was convinced he was doing the right thing, even at the cost of many lives...

Scripture Reading — Romans 16:3-5 Greet also the church that meets at their house. Romans 16:5 Paul was a traveling preacher on mission for the Lord Jesus, and Priscilla and Aquila welcomed him to stay and work with them (see Acts 18). They knew the importance of the gospel and were willing to...

Scripture Reading — Acts 16:22-34 The jailer . . . was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household. Acts 16:34 It wasn’t a place they would have chosen to stay for the night. Yet God chose a prison cell to be the place where Paul and Silas would share the...

Scripture Reading — Acts 10:1-38 While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. Acts 10:27 She walked to church regularly on Sunday mornings, and on one occasion she saw a most unlikely character. He was barely sober and headed to the liquor store. Though she...

Scripture Reading — John 4:1-30 The woman . . . said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” John 4:28-29 It started as an ordinary day. The woman had her routine planned—including going to the well at the hottest time of day, when no one...

Scripture Reading — Luke 10:1-11 “If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you.” Luke 10:6 On my Facebook page I asked a question about how people might define “a person of peace.” I received lots of answers, and a few of those can be...

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 4:8-14 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 Aaron was young and active and loud. He gathered friends easily. He was also one of the...

Scripture Reading — John 3:16-21 God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 The newness we celebrate at the start of each year pales in comparison to the ultimate newness we receive through Christ...

Scripture Reading — Psalm 126:1-6 Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Psalm 126:5 The journey of life isn’t always easy. We face struggles, setbacks, and moments where it feels like our efforts are in vain. But the beautiful truth of Psalm 126:5 is that God does not waste our...