“What a Strange Child!” (Luke 2.41-52) Eastminster United Presbyterian Church, Christmas 1C (December 30, 2018) Tom James The movie Home Alone is considered a Christmas movie, even though its themes have nothing to do with Christmas. The McCallister family is about to take a trip to Paris over the Christmas holidays, and they accidentally leave […]
There is a now-classic Christmas movie one of my kids just watched during her break from school. It’s called “Home Alone,” and it is about the adventures of a 12-year-old boy (Kevin) who has been inadvertently left behind while his family goes on vacation over the holidays. During this Sunday’s sermon, I’m going to give […]
Christmas Eve meditation (John 1.1-23) Eastminster United Presbyterian Church, 2018 Tom James We have been waiting. Waiting is a crucial part of what it means to be human. It’s also an essential feature of the Christian faith. We wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises. We wait for the coming of the Messiah. We wait […]
The one of peace (Micah 5.1-5a) Eastminster United Presbyterian Church, Advent 4C (December 23, 2018) Tom James I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. The word “Advent” has a specific meaning. Literally, it means “coming.” This is a brief, four-week season right on the cusp of Christmas, placed right here and now to remind […]
“From shame to praise” (Zephaniah 3.14-20) Eastminster United Presbyterian Church, Advent 3C (December 16, 2018) Tom James When I go to the store, I’m focused on what I’m going to buy. In fact, I start to zero in on my target well before I enter the store. Even when I’m in the parking lot, I’m […]
Have you ever been embarrassed? I’m guessing all of us have. Usually, we can laugh at ourselves when we are embarrassed. But there is a step beyond embarrassment that isn’t funny at all: humiliation. Being humiliated is painful, and the stigma that we feel can last a long time. This Sunday, we will be talking […]
A recent popular Christmas song has become part of the season for many people. The song, “Mary Did You Know” was written by Mark Lowry in 1984, and was first released in 1992 by Michael English. Since then, it is been recorded by a wide array of well-known artists, and at least one of my […]
“The days are surely coming” (Jeremiah 33.14-16) Eastminster United Presbyterian Church, December 2, 2018 (Advent 1C) Tom James You’ve heard the expression, “You reap what you sow.” Most of us don’t farm very much anymore, I’m guessing, but we can still understand the metaphor. Put a seed in the ground, and, though you may not […]
Happy new (church) year! This Sunday we begin the season of Advent, the beginning of the church year when we anticipate the coming of Christ. Advent is a time for recognizing that our faith looks ahead to a future that is better, and part of that is taking stock of the ways in which God’s […]
The end is the beginning (Revelation 1.4b-8) Eastminster United Presbyterian Church, November 25, 2018 (Christ the King Sunday) Tom James When my father was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, he could step back and reflect on what it was like. I remember spending a week with him while we were on vacation and […]
