Tuesday Notes

It is not often that a pastor connects the resurrection of the Lord Jesus to the movie Talladega Nights, but buckle up, ‘cause it’s about to happen.  The colloquial expression, “That. Just. Happened.” entered into modern diction about a decade ago after being popularized by Will Ferrell’s character in a...

I loved the contributions of the children to the worship celebration this past Sunday morning. As we remembered together the “Triumphal Entry” of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem at the beginning of what is often called “Holy Week,” the children of the congregation led us in song, scripture readings and a...

The Presbyterian Church has some funny terms. From time-to-time I am still learning new ones. When I came to First Pres Glen Ellyn 7 years ago, I learned what a “Sacristy” is – although I still think it would be easier to call it “that little closet where all the...

You likely are familiar with the mixer game where a famous person’s name is put on a tag on your back. You don’t know whose name it is, so you have to ask yes or no questions of others in the room, in order to figure it out. Let’s say...

In the sermon on Sunday we studied one of Jesus’ most famous parables, the so-called “Good Samaritan.” If you were basking in the Spring Break sun this week, you can listen to the sermon here. Jesus tells a brilliant parable that gives an example of what we would call social...

New Testament commentator Dale Bruner writes that, “There has never been a worshipper of Jesus who did not also doubt him.” Even those who encountered Jesus in the flesh after his resurrection from the dead had their doubts about what they were experiencing. It’s only natural to have some doubts...

I know you never nod off during Sunday worship. But let’s just say, that for some totally crazy reason that you nodded off during worship last Sunday. And then you woke up, of all places, at the beginning of the sermon. Then after attending to your drool, you might have...

As my oldest son has grown, he is now a front-seat rider in the car. As most parents whose children have transitioned from car seat, to booster seat, to back seat, to front seat would tell you, it is a brave new world. Having a co-pilot in the cockpit is...

It is time to talk about Jesus.  That is true every Sunday in worship and it is true every day of our lives as we live into the “More Than Sunday” lifestyle of Christian discipleship. But it is about to be especially true of our congregation in the coming months. ...

Church Family, I am often struck by how demanding it is to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Being a “professing Christian” can be relatively easy. Not to make light of the places in the world where one is in very real danger of being oppressed, persecuted or killed by…