For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39 NRSV Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.

The Conversion of Saul (Acts 9:1-9) | Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me...

Acts 2 explains the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the twelve apostles—there was a sound of rushing wind, there were tongues like fire that rested on each person, and they were given ability by the Holy Spirit to speak in all languages present so the diverse gathered crowd understood what was being spoken. Bystanders were amazed, perplexed, and even judgmental of what was happening. Then Peter stood with the apostles and preached to the crowd.

In Luke 10, Jesus responds to the questioning of a lawyer, who asks two questions. First, he asks “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus responds to the first question with a question, indicating that the man knows the answer to his own question. When the man presses, Luke gives us his own read of the man’s intentions: “But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” Jesus responds with one of the most well-known passages of scripture: the Parable of the Good ...

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.  John 1:10 NRSV When I reflect on this passage, I am reminded that I miss God way too often. What I mean is that if Jesus Christ, being the fullness of God, not only created the world/universe but has also deigned to actually be in the world – the Word/God "pitched a tent" and lives among us, as stated in the literal translation of John 1:14 – then I must be a blind fool because I don't see or ex...

Isaiah 52:7 says, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, Your God reigns." We are no strangers to trials and tribulations. As a people inundated with news that is transmitted at lightning speed and repeated over and over again., we cannot escape the reality that many--both near and far--are experiencing difficulty. You read the paper or watch the news.

“…[Elijah] said [to the widow], ‘Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.’ But she said, ‘As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.’ Elijah said to her, ‘Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and...

The Lord had not spoken to Samuel before, and Samuel did not recognize the voice. When the Lord called out his name for the third time, Samuel went to Eli again and said, “Here I am. What do you want?” Eli finally realized that it was the Lord who was speaking to Samuel.  So he said, “Go back and lie down!

In reading the Exodus story, I'm always surprised that, though I've read and heard the story a number of times, I always find and learn something new. As I read Exodus 7-11 and 32-34, I'm struck by how Moses' leadership is defined, in part, by prayer – specifically, prayer for others, what the church has long called intercessory prayer.  Moses prays for Pharaoh and Egypt, that the plagues would end. Moses also prays for the Israelites, that their sin would be forgiven.

In Genesis 33, we're invited to witness an incredibly emotional and spiritual exchange marking a seismic shift in the lives of hurt family members. A brother who has tricked his dad so he could steal the eldest-son-blessing. A brother who was pained due to broken trust and made plans to literally murder his baby brother.

Today's passage from Genesis 11 has me thinking about the community in Babel in relation to our community at Westbury UMC.   In Babel, we find the people working together to accomplish incredible feats--they build a tower that reached to heaven! How far is that?

In the coming weeks, the pastors of Westbury UMC will rotate writing regular blog posts to reflect on the passages of scripture we're covering in worship and in our daily readings. Check back here for posts and feel free to comment as a part of the dialogue!