MAC KIRK

“ Waiting- Pentecost “ Acts 2:1-21 or Ezekiel 37:1-14 Psalm 104: 25-35,37 Romans 8:22-27 John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 Wait Jesus told His disciples--- “ and being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem but wait for the promise of the Father.” They asked Acts 1:6---“ Lord, will you at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” Why does waiting seem so hard? I think we have been conditioned to think of waiting as a trial, but I wonder. Is waiting God’s way of slowing us down, allowing us to be reformed into His way of thinking and His image? Acts 1:7 So the Lord answered them, “ And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in his own power.” I can think of some examples of waiting that show us how important this really is . When someone talks to us, do we form our answer before we have waited to hear what they are saying? Certainly a lot! So good communication does not tak...

Jesus Prays for Us John 17:6-19      All of us have had someone say, “ I will pray for you.”   Now usually we are happy about that.   Sometimes though when we share our trials, our difficulties, and our problems we hear,   “ I will pray for you.”   And we wonder if the person we share these things with prays for us at all.   They may mean to .   They probably have the best intentions , but somehow the day overcomes them and they do not remember.   Unfortunately even in Christian circles this can be a way to say , “ yes, I feel your pain.” But that is it. The individual has no intention of praying for you at all.   It is just an expression of concern or faith.       In John’s Gospel today we hear of Jesus praying for His children .   That prayer is one that takes.   When Jesus says He prays for us, He is not just using an expression or trying to make us feel better. He truly does...

6th Sunday of Easter- Acts 10:44-48; I Jn 5:1-6; John 15:9-17 “Loving God, Ourselves & Others” Winning the lottery. Let us admit we all dream of it. The News tells of such winners : Jack Whittaker: This West Virginia businessman won $315 million in the Powerball lottery in 2002, the largest jackpot ever from a single ticket in American history at the time. After being robbed of $545,000 in cash while at a strip club, Whittaker's granddaughter and daughter were later found dead, and Whittaker was sued by Caesars Atlantic City casino for bouncing $1.5 million worth of checks to cover gambling losses. -Juan Rodriguez: This New York City parking attendant was earning less than $30,000 in 2004 when he won $149 million in a Mega Millions drawing. But soon after taking the lump sum option of $88 million, his wife filed for divorce and was awarded half of his winnings. -Fred Topous, Jr.: Topous won $57 million, the seventh-largest jackpot in Michigan state history in Jun...

Acts 8:26-40 Fifth Sunday of Easter Psalm 22:24-30 1 John 4:7-21 John 15:1-8 Recently Chuck Colson died . He was someone who was disgraced in the Watergate era, went to prison and there a remarkable transformation happened. After his conversion he began a prison ministry. The theme of that ministry was Isaiah 42:3,” a bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” This reflected Colson’s “ belief that no one---not the most hardened criminal nor the most egotistical Washingtonian---was beyond hope.” “World” May 5, 2012. I like what he said at his last speech. He warned his audience not to listen to caricatures of Christians:” We’re also seen as wanting to impose our views on people. Don’t let them tell you that. We don’t impose anything. We propose. We propose an invitation to the wedding feast, to come to a better way of living. A better way of life. It’s the great proposal.” (ibid, “World”) In our first reading today Philip goes to one pe...