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...

  Sun, Mar 30, 2025 The Fourth Sunday in Lent Josh (4:19-24) 5:1(2-8)9-12 Ps 34 or 34:1-8 2 Cor 5:17-21 Luke 15:11-32 " The two parables are written to heal our wounds, for they represent the Divine remedy that comes from the Trinity, the father representing God the Father, the shepherd Christ, and the woman the church - Ambrose"  in Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture-Luke " But you, Lord, are good and merciful, and your right hand plumbed the depths of my death, draining the cesspit of corruption in my heart, so that I ceased to will all that I had been wont to will, and now willed what you willed." St. Augustine of Hippo "In 1986 Henri Nouwen, a Dutch theologian and writer, toured St. Petersburg, Russia, the former Leningrad. While there he visited the famous Hermitage where he saw, among other things, Rembrandt's painting of the Prodigal Son. The painting was in a hallway and received the natural light of a nearby window. Nouwen stood for two ...

  Sun, Mar 23, 2025 The Third Sunday in Lent Ex 3:1-15 Ps 103 or 103:1-12 1 Cor 10:1-13 Luke 13:1-9(10-17)  " YBH-Yes But How?..." "A man borrowed a book from an acquaintance. As he read through it, he was intrigued to find parts of the book underlined with the letters YBH written in the margin. When he returned the book to the owner, he asked what the YBH meant. The owner replied that the underlined paragraphs were sections of the book that he basically agreed with. They gave him hints on how to improve himself and pointed out truths that he wished to incorporate into his life. However, the letters YBH stood for "Yes, but how?" Those three letters could be writ on the margins of ours souls: "I ought to know how to take better care of myself, but how?" "I know I ought to spend more time in scripture reading and prayer, but how?" "I know I ought to be more sensitive to others, more loving of my spouse, more understanding of the weakn...

  Deut 26:(1-4)5-11 Ps 91 or 91:9-16 Rom 10:4-13 Luke 4:1-13; The First Sunday in Lent Too Tempting The story is told of four high school boys who couldn't resist the temptation to skip morning classes. Each had been smitten with a bad case of spring fever. After lunch they showed up at school and reported to the teacher that their car had a flat tire. Much to their relief, she smiled and said, "Well, you missed a quiz this morning, so take your seats and get out a pencil and paper." Still smiling, she waited as they settled down and got ready for her questions. Then she said, "First question--which tire was flat?" from sermons@sermons.com King James Bible "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" The Hymn says it all so well for the Season by George Hunt Smyttan, 1856 " Forty Days and Forty Nights -Thou Wast Fasting in the Wild Forty ...