Rev 21:1-7 Behold!
May 15, 2022 Rev 21:1-7 Behold! Rev. Paul L. Escamilla When I taught classes in worship at Perkins School of Theology at SMU, one student planned and led a healing service to fulfill one of his assignments. At a certain point in the service, which was held in Perkins Chapel…
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In the Presence
Psalm 23 In the Presence Paul L. Escamilla Some of us have known the 23rd psalm, what we call the Shepherd’s Psalm, practically from our mother’s arms, and so it is deeply woven into the fabric of our faith. Others have come across it more randomly over the years—at…
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The Nourishing Life
May 1, 2022, John 21 The Nourishing Life When it comes to apprehending the beauty and mystery of the spiritual life, much wisdom comes from sharing the faith practices with our children in all the ways we do. Years ago, I watched little Amelia as she slowly found her way…
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Praise God
Easter Sunday was glorious, wasn’t it?! The tomb is empty! Christ is risen! So, what do we do now? Now that the trumpets have been packed away, the lilies are gone, and the Hallelujah chorus is still ringing a bit in our ears. I wonder, what do we do now?…
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Resurrection Witness
ACTS 5:27-32 Rev. Dr. Mark Doty We have just heard today’s lectionary lesson from Acts 5: the account of witnessing by Peter and the Apostles. The group of them had been arrested for doing ministry and put into the public prison. During the night, an angel opened the…
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Reliance: Eating for Two
April 3, 2022 Philippians 3:4b-14 Reliance: Eating for Two Paul L. Escamilla In Laurens van der Post’s novel, A Story Like the Wind, Bamuthi is something of a father figure to young Francois, who is coming of age on his parents’ ranch in South Africa. The wiseand gentle Bamuthi, who…
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Reliance: Mercy Without Limits
March 27, 2022 Luke 15 Reliance: Mercy Without Limit What do we do with this story? A wayward young man, messing up his life six ways to Sunday, comes to his senses and decides to go home. With the poet he reasons that home is the place where when you…
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Come and See
Come and See 27March22 Today’s scripture is a story of grace … the undeserved grace of a father for his prodigal son and the abiding grace of the father for his older faithful son … evidence of a father’s choice to love carelessly when others might have expected caution…
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Reliance: To Sing in the Wilderness
In the tenth century the Russian prince sent emissaries to Constantinople, present day Istanbul, to survey the legendary Hagia Sophia, the stunningly ornate 6th century Byzantine Cathedral church located there. They were transported by the majesty and magnificence of that iconic place of worship. On returning home they reported to…
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