A Noble Theme

December 10 was a very special service at St. Andrew's Hespeler. It was Family Sunday, a service designed for kids of all ages, and we celebrated the baptism of a beautiful baby girl. There was no sermon per se, but the kids did present the following two poems. Hespeler, 10 December, 2017 © Scott McAndless – Baptism, Family Sunday Rock-a-bye Norah Rock-a-bye Baby, laid in a trough. You are God’s chosen, a gift from aloft. Because of your coming, the mighty shall fall, The lowly be lifted and rule over all. Some wise men are traveling, foll’wing a star They’re coming to worship you for who you are. They’re bringing you frankincense, gold and some Myrrh, For you are the sort of a king they prefer. When you first arrived, King Herod was mad. He thought you would threaten the kingdom he had. The kingdom that you’ll preach is better by far, But people in this world think it’s bizarre. Rock-a-bye baby, you’ll grow to be...

The 9th Episode of the Podcast  "Retelling the Bible"  came out earlier today During the first season of his podcast, storyteller, W. Scott McAndless is retelling the story of the nativity of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, trying to help us to see some of the historical and biblical references the au thor is making - helping us to hear the story more as the author may have intended. In today's episode,  the announcement of a Year of Jubilee comes to the small village of Nazareth. All males are called to return to their ancestral homes. Many of the villagers seem doubtful when they hear where this proclamation is coming from, but one young carpenter and his intended wife feel a stirring in their hearts. Gabrielle M. guest stars in the role of Mary. I encourage you to subscri be and to listen via one of these popular Podcasting apps. Each of the links below will take you to a page where you can subscribe: Itunes or Apple Podcast Stitcher Google...

Hespeler, 3 December, 2017 © Scott McAndless – Communion Luke 1:13-27, 1 Samuel 1:9-18, Luke 1:41-55 T his Christmas and Advent season, I wanted to help us get a new perspective on the same old Christmas story. And I figured that the best way to do that was by listening to the story through the voices of characters that we don’t usually get to hear and to see it through their eyes. So this morning, I want to tell the story of Christmas through Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.       I realize, of course, that I am not necessarily the ideal person to tell her story. It might take a bit of suspension of disbelief, but I hope you just go with it. At least I am kind of dressed for the part this morning.       So here we are, in Elizabeth’s voice:       I used to dread it when my husband, Zechariah, went off to do his priestly duties, to serve in the great temple with the Levitic...

The 8th Episode of the Podcast "Retelling the Bible" came out earlier today During the first season of his podcast, storyteller, W. Scott McAndless is retelling the story of the nativity of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, trying to help us to see some of the historical and biblical references the author is making - helping us to hear the story more as the author may have intended. In today's episode, we jump back before the beginning to trace some of the reaction to the census that was taken at the time when Jesus was born. A rebel named Judas and his friend, Zadok, plan their response to the Roman initiative - a response that will have a big impact on the birth of Jesus and of the Christian faith. I encourage you to subscribe and to listen via one of these popular Podcasting apps. Each of the links below will take you to a page where you can subscribe: Itunes or Apple Podcast Stitcher Google Play Podbean (host) If you use a different pod...

Hespeler, 26 November, 2017 © Scott McAndless Mark 11:12-24, Matthew 7:13-20, Joel 2:21-27 I s that in the Bible? It is one of those questions that you just have to ask sometimes when you read this book. And few passages elicit such a response more easily than the one we read this morning. It is a story that seems odd on so many levels. Jesus is just walking along one bright morning, he sees a fig tree in the distance, sees that it has some leaves on it, and feels a little rumble in his stomach. He is hungry so he goes over to see whether it has any fruit on it.       Now, mind you, it is not exactly the right season for figs, but I guess if you’re really hungry (as I guess Jesus was) you can hardly blame a guy for hoping that there might be a few early fruits. I mean, who hasn’t been there: you open the cupboard and hope against hope, when you see the old Twinkie box shoved up in the back corner, that there will be just one golden cake ...

Today the 7th Episode of the Podcast "Retelling the Bible" came out. During the first season of his podcast, storyteller, W. Scott McAndless is retelling the story of the nativity of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, trying to help us to see some of the historical and biblical references the author is making -- helping us to hear the story more as the author may have intended. In today's episode, Mary and Joseph finally arrive in Bethlehem  after their long and difficult journey and seek shelter even as Mary approaches her time to deliver. They are seeking hospitality in a very particular place - just not necessarily at the particular place we have long assumed. I encourage you to subscribe and to listen via one of these popular Podcasting apps. Each of the links below will take you to a page where you can subscribe: Itunes or Apple Podcast Stitcher Google Play Podbean (host) If you prefer a different podcasting app, try search for "Retelli...

This is just a reminder that the book that will revolutionize your knowledge and understanding of the Bible's story of Christmas is available now and can still be shipped before Christmas (or in the case of the ebook immediately). Are you really going to let another Christmas go by without getting the inside scoop on the season? The Gospel of Luke alone tells the story of the birth of Jesus set against the background of a census taken on the orders of Caesar Augustus. This historical setting has always raised serious questions: Was there ever really such a census? Why does Luke describe the census as being carried out in a manner that does not fit with what we know of Roman practices and policies? This book struggles with questions like those in a creative way which leads to some surprising new ways to understand Luke’s timeless story of Mary and Joseph and their journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Part investigation, part exercise in creative imagination, this book will...