I always thought it was kind of ironic that we have a holiday called “Labor Day” on which we celebrate workers by not working. However, the whole concept of celebrating workers by not working goes back to God’s pattern in creation when He set aside the seventh day as a day of rest for the benefit of the humans who were charged with taking care of the world.

Have you ever stopped to think about why you care about people you don’t even know? Perhaps part of it is sharing the common human experience of living in a world terribly affected by sin and tragedy. But for us as Christians, there is something much deeper.

In all things, we will focus on living daily in His grace, and not keeping it to ourselves—but telling HIS story to invite people to know Jesus, and provide opportunities to grow in His love.

We all know it is impossible to walk on water. Peter did as well, yet he had just witnessed what Jesus had done with five loaves of bread and two fish. With God all things are possible.

Jesus did not offer a wide variety of food, but only fish and bread. Everyone was satisfied with what was offered.

If you happened to read last week’s Call to Worship, you may recall that I told a story about one of our cats. This week, I want to share a story about our dog Jingles, who, according to the information we received when we adopted her from HAWS, turned 13 on July 27.

There is good and evil in this world, and there is a big waiting game going on before Judgment Day because our gracious Lord doesn’t want to lose anyone.

No matter how hard you try to work the soil and get rid of rocks and weeds, they keep popping up.

Have you ever found yourself unable to sleep in the middle of the night because your mind is racing in various directions? Have you ever found yourself “overtired” and have a hard time relaxing? How about feeling guilty because there is so much to do but you just can’t seem to accomplish it or feel overwhelmed by it all?

On Tuesday, July 4, we will celebrate our nation’s 247th birthday. While no nation has a perfect history since all nations are made up of sinful human beings, we as a nation have enjoyed remarkable blessings throughout our history, beginning with success in the Revolutionary War which seemed to indicate Divine intervention.

What a fantastic promise of the Lord’s care and the ultimate eternal victory we have in Christ Jesus. But before the victory is won the battle rages. In this weekend’s Old Testament reading we’ll hear the prophet Jeremiah lamenting the fact that the word of the Lord brings him insult and reproach all day long. In the Gospel reading Jesus tells the Twelve that they will be hated by everyone because of Him. If that’s the case, why would someone want to follow Jesus?

How often have you heard the phrase, “If you’re going to talk the talk, walk the walk”? This Sunday is Father’s Day, and for those of us who are dads, it may be a day not only to celebrate with family, but also to reflect on how we’re doing as dads.

Why do we follow set readings and observe certain seasons in the Church Year since those things are not laid out in the Scriptures and are man-made traditions?

This weekend, we celebrate Trinity Sunday. Our worship services will give thanks to God for the wonder of what has been revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures concerning who the one true God is: three distinct Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) yet one God.

In Jesus, we might have different languages of choice and ethnic and cultural dissimilarities, but in Jesus all the differences melt away as His people focus on accomplishing the Lord’s goal of living in His love and making disciples of all nations.

And, in a sense, isn’t that our role as followers of Jesus, to fill the world with His love as we not only specifically share the Good News of who Jesus is and what He has done, but live lives which reflect the fruit of the Holy Spirit living in us – the Spirit who connects us to Jesus and uses us to reflect Him in our attitudes and actions.