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Archive for March, 2008

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My Statement of Faith: Concluding Comments

Monday, March 31st, 2008

Last Thursday I put up my Statement of Faith, one I had written as a part of my examination to be recognized as a Presbyterian pastor in my new location. If you didn’t read it, you can find my Statement of Faith here. On Friday I explained why I used hymns and songs as a […]

Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling.org

Sunday, March 30th, 2008

Pray Toward Heaven and Row Toward Shore
READ Genesis 32:13-23
Jacob stayed where he was for the night. Then he selected these gifts from his possessions to present to his brother, Esau: 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, 30 female camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and […]

I Wonder How the Neighbors Liked That!

Saturday, March 29th, 2008

So I’m sitting in my local Denny’s waiting for my lunch order to arrive. On the way in had I picked up one of those omnipresent real estate magazines you find in restaurants adjoining interstate highways. As I’m waiting, I’m flipping casually through the pages of the magazine. I’m just curious, you understand. I’m […]

My Statement of Faith: Why Hymns and Songs?

Friday, March 28th, 2008

Part 3 of series: My Statement of Faith
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When Presbyterian pastors or candidates for ordained ministry are being “checked out” theologically, their statements of faith usually take the form of six or seven paragraphs of prose. Each paragraph includes carefully chosen, tightly-packed theological language. They are basically creedal […]

My Statement of Faith

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Part 2 of series: My Statement of Faith
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Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father, There is no shadow of turning with thee; Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; As thou hast been thou forever wilt be. (1)
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in […]

My Statement of Faith: Introduction

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

Part 1 of series: My Statement of Faith
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As most of you know, I recently left my position as Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in order to become the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence of Laity Lodge. My new position, though not in a parish, is still something […]

You Know You’re in a Small Town When . . .

Tuesday, March 25th, 2008

Feb. 3
1200 block of S. Main Street, 12:30 a.m., Police pulled over a vehicle for driving recklessly. The driver said that he thought the vehicle in front of him was a bunch of kids so he was acting dumb. [MDR: I’m a little worried if the driver actually thought the vehicle in front of him […]

Resources for Eastertide

Monday, March 24th, 2008

Eastertide?
I hadn’t heard this word until I was well into my thirties. At that time I was the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church. My Director of Worship was a big believer in celebrating, not just Easter Sunday, but Eastertide . . . the fifty day season that begins with Easter and ends at Pentecost […]

Christ is Risen!

Sunday, March 23rd, 2008

 
Reflection
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!
Christians confess that Christ is risen, not only in the hearts of the faithful, and not merely as some nice religious image, but truly and physically. On Easter morning the tomb of Jesus was empty. The power of death was broken, both for him and for us, by his […]

The Seventh Word: “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” (Luke 24:46)

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008

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Copyright © Linda Roberts, 2007.
For permission to use this picture, please contact Mark D. Roberts.

Reflection
Two of the last seven “words” of Jesus were quotations from the Psalms. Earlier Jesus had Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” to express his anguish. Later […]

The Sixth Word: “It is finished!” (John 19:30)

Friday, March 21st, 2008

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Statue from The Stations of the Cross, Serra Retreat Center, Malibu, California

Reflection
I never saw a more difficult film to watch than Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the […]

The Fifth Word: “I am thirsty.” (John 19:2)

Thursday, March 20th, 2008

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Painting from a church in Taormina, Sicily

Reflection
No doubt Jesus experienced extreme thirst while being crucified. He would have lost a substantial quantity of bodily fluid, both […]

The Fourth Word: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Mark 15:34)

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

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So-called “God’s Tear” from The Passion of the Christ.

Reflection
As Jesus was dying on the cross, he echoed the beginning of Psalm 22, which reads:
My […]

The Third Word: “Dear woman, here is your son.” (John 19:26)

Tuesday, March 18th, 2008

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Copyright © Linda Roberts, 2007.
For permission to use this picture, please contact Mark D. Roberts.

Reflection
As Jesus was dying, his mother was among those who had remained with him. Most of the male disciples had fled, with the exception of one whom the Fourth Gospel calls “the […]

The Second Word: “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

Monday, March 17th, 2008

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Copyright © Linda Roberts, 2007.
For permission to use this picture, please contact Mark D. Roberts.

Reflection
As Jesus hung on the cross, he was mocked by the leaders and the soldiers. One of the criminals being crucified with him added his own measure of scorn. But the other […]
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