A few years ago a very valuable missing painting was found. It had been used by the unknowing owner for wrapping fish. That’s how I feel about this story in a way. Why would such an extraordinary and pivotal account in the history of God and man be used to explain why Jews do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip? It makes me wonder how many other stories are being used to wrap fish and when we unroll them we are surprised and delighted at the irony of God to take something so precious and use it for such a common purpose. The beginning of…

Jacob’s life is, like ours, marked by transitions from one stage to another. First, there is the transition from a young man settled in a family to being on the run.  Second, there is the transition to the challenges of marriage and family. This morning we are looking at the transition from years of working in difficult circumstances to success and going out on his own by leaving Laban. If there is one thread that is consistent in the life of Jacob it is this promise from God: “I will be with you.” At every point of change in his life, he hears that from God. He may not know…

So much has been written about the stages of life. Erik Erikson described 8 beginning with the most basic developed as an infant of trust or distrust then through the later period of establishing identity or confusion and then the challenge of middle age in deciding whether we become stagnant or continue to be generative. The final stage is whether we retain our integrity or give in to despair.  Shakespeare gave us seven memorable stages in “As You Like It.” The. puking infant, the whining schoolboy, the lover sighing like a furnace, the soldier seeking the bubble of reputation in the mouth of the cannon, the justice full of wise…

This morning we are reading the account of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19. Of course, the names of these cities have become synonymous with sin and wickedness of all kinds and God’s ultimate fiery judgment. Even today, some cities are described as modern Sodom’s and when they experience disasters some attribute that to their sinfulness. For instance, you may remember Franklin Graham’s words on why Katrina struck New Orleans: At a speech in Virginia, he said, “This is one wicked city, OK?  It’s known for Mardi Gras, for Satan worship.  It’s known for sex perversion.  It’s known for every type of drugs and alcohol and the orgies and all…

“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham  for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting…

Leo Tolstoy was right when he said, “All happy families are alike. Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” In other words, there are some basic principles that are always present in happy families. No matter what their circumstances and differences there are a few things that mark them and allow them to be happy. A friend of mine told me those two principles are trust and communication. People talk with each other and there is a basic trust in their relationship even when it is strained or the family is in conflict. On the other hand, unhappy families are those that seem to find any number of…

One of Flannery O’Connor’s short stories is about a grandfather who takes his grandson, Nelson, to Atlanta to show him by comparison how good it is in the country.  A visit to the city will cure him of his boredom with rural Georgia.  Arriving on the train, they begin to walk and are soon lost.  For the whole day they try to find their way back to the station but walk around in circles confused and no closer to the station.  The grandfather’s “moral mission” to show the boy how evil, dark and unwelcoming the city is takes an unexpected turn but in the end they find the train home…

Noah leaves the ark and immediately builds an altar and offers a sacrifice that is pleasing to the Lord. However, there is no sacrifice that can reinstate mankind into a state of innocence or peace with God. The sacrifice is pleasing and the result is God’s promise that he will no longer curse the ground because of man but the cat is out of the bag and the horse is out of the barn so to speak. There is no retooling the heart of man and God recognizes the permanent inclination of every heart is evil from childhood. There will be no new creation. At least not for now. The…

It’s quite a statement to say that there is only one man and his family that is worth saving as we read in Chapter 6. “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.” It would be easy to think that Noah was completely righteous on his own but that is not the case. Noah was part of a line of righteous people. It does not say he was perfect but it does…

Many Christians around the world celebrate Epiphany on January 6th or the Sunday following – which would be today. It is also known as the Three Kings Day to honor the three Magi who traveled from the East to bring gifts to the baby Jesus. For Eastern Orthodox Christians it is called Theophany and also celebrated as the Blessing of the Waters to honor the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan and the wedding at Cana when Jesus turned water into wine. In Bulgaria and other European countries a crucifix is blessed by the priest and then thrown into the nearest body of water where swimmers dive in to find…