MAC KIRK

  The Second Sunday of Easter Acts 5:12a, 17-22, 25-29 or Job 42:1-6 Ps 111 Rev 1:(1-8)9-19 ;John 20:  (10-18 -I have added this)19-31 "Trusting and Believing is Seeing" "It was Saturday, the day before Easter, and Joanne Hinch of Woodland Hills, California was sitting at the kitchen table coloring eggs with her three-year-old son Dan and her two-year-old daughter Debbie. She told her kids about the meaning of Easter and taught them the traditional Easter morning greeting and response, "He is risen...He is risen indeed!" The children planned to surprise their Dad, a Presbyterian minister, with that greeting as soon as he awoke the next morning. Easter arrived, little Danheard his father stirring about in his bedroom, so the boy got up quickly, dashed down the hall and shouted the good news: "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, God's back!"  sermons@sermons.com 1.  Mary Magdalene  The Lord had cast out of her seven demons. Luke 8:1-3" the twelve were with ...

  Easter Day  " But Peter"---:Ps 118:14-17,22-24; Col 3:1-4 ; Acts 10:34-43 ;Luke 24:1-12   Have you ever driven in the fog early am before sunrise?  We had that experience when we had to go to Pensacola, and we took the roads that were less traveled, 137, thru Baker and Holt.  We were trying to see, and some pickup truck on my tail passed me on a double line. Needless to say, I was a bit concerned.   1.  Sadness -What is your experience with fear and sadness?  We had a service for our grandfather at the little Presbyterian Church he filled in at, actually it was not that little, in the suburbs of Philly.  He was my mentor in all things , and it was so difficult.  I could not hold back the emotion and tears. Apparently I was rather vocally sad too, as I could not imagine him being gone.  We did a lot of things together.  I heard him preach, and we talked about the art of being a pastor on the porch in Philadelphia many day...

 Sunday of the Passion II / Palm Sunday Isa 52:13—53:12 Ps 22:1-11v or Ps 22:1-21v Phil 2:5-11 Luke (22:39-71) 23:1-49 (50-56);  Entrance into Church sometimes done Scriptures-Luke 19:29-40 Ps 118:19-29;   " Crucified with the Criminals- Then He forgave them" Luke 23:33   ---This quote certainly wraps up all of the Entrance to Holy Week---" Every Divine action begins from the Father, proceeds through the Son, and is completed in the Holy Spirit." ST Basil of Caesarea Nouwen for Friday seemed to affect thought here too for me, about the Cross,  because ultimately it is about God loving us through His Son, so that we may enter His kingdom by faith.  "Being Led to Love The spiritual life is not giving up something. It is first of all following the One. It is not first of all letting go of all fears. It is first of all being led to love. If we keep the Lord, his Kingdom, his Word, and his Gospel in our mind, if this becomes our inner space, we will know wh...

  Sun, Apr 6, 2025 The 5th Sunday in Lent--- Isaiah43:16-21 ;Philippians 3:4b-14;John 12:1-8; Psalm 126 "True Christian Devotion-The Supper at Bethany" Is this a story of rejection?  Or is it a story of reception and deep love for another?  It is all of the mentioned.  It is almost a week before the Passover , Palm Sunday as well. The scene is set for Holy Week, the week when Jesus did the Passover meal with His disciples . We know it as Holy Communion.  Good Friday is also that week . In the light of all of this, we are at a supper with Lazarus, Mary, Martha and the ever unfaithful Judas. Mary is at the heart of this event.  Remember Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead in John 11.  Here she annoints the feet of Jesus and prepares him for burial vs. 7 " for the day of my burying". In Luke 10:38-42 she sat at His feet.   1. What does it mean to have true Christian devotion?  I would say it starts with an understanding of who J...