Remember Who You Are
Sermon preached by Mr. James Parks, Moderator of the Presbytery of Baltimore on February 21, 2016. In the movie “The Lion King,” Simba, the young lion, runs away after his father, the Lion King, dies. Simba runs both from his past, thinking he is responsible for his father’s death, and also from his future as […]
Instant and Ancient Light
Did you know that we live about 90 million miles away from the sun? We live 90 million miles away from the source of heat and light that sustains all life on this planet. And indeed, we are very fortunate to be in that range, which scientists call the “circumstellar habitable zone,” that range of […]
Lenten Ecumenical Series II – The Rev. Dr. Douglas Summers
The Rev. Dr. Douglas Summers of the Providence Baptist Church delivers a sermon entitled “When the Tempter Comes” at the Lenten Ecumenical Worship service hosted this year by Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church.
Resisting the Devil
The scene of crime scene was the gym where my childhood church basketball team played games every Saturday during basketball season. In the lobby of the gym was a selection of candies – Kit Kats, Hershey bars, Twix, just to name the ones that tempted me the most. Somehow I ended up there alone, before […]
Even Now
In November of 1993, BJ Miller returned to Princeton University after his Thanksgiving break. He was a sophomore and had taken to college life quickly, forming this tight-knit little group of friends that seemed like his whole world. That’s why they met up late at night that first day back at school. They didn’t have […]
The Body of Christ
If “diversity” had been a buzzword in the Apostle Paul’s day, then Corinth would have set the definition. Corinth had everything. Temples, Greek and Egyptian shrines, Jewish synagogues and the Roman imperial cult. Corinth had a reputation for having wealth without culture, a sort of Sin City with everything to offer. Corinth’s diversity was not […]
Race, Justice, and Dreams
Isaiah speaks in the future tense. I will not keep silent. The nations will see your vindication. You will be a crown of splendor. You will be called Hephzibah – My Delight is in Her, and Beulah – married. A wedding is all about the future. A future that comes about because of a promise. […]
Learning How to Love from Evangelicals, Recovering Alcoholics, and Jesus
It’s often said that the God of the Old Testament is an angry, vengeful God while the God of the New Testament is loving and kind.[1] Jesus is the loving, gentle, caring one; the flow-y-haired father-figure from the children’s Bible holding a lone sheep under his arm and laughing with children, while the God of […]
The 2015 Christmas Pageant
Copyright by Tim Hughes, December 20, 2015 THE INTERGENERATIONAL BALTIMORE CITY CHRISTMAS PAGEANT of 2015 (Musical introduction begins the pageant. Gabriel is seated at the bar, looking at his phone. Everyone else is off-stage. As musical introduction concludes, the three BALTIMORE HONS walk onto stage.) HON 1: This is the story of a baby, hon. […]
The Epiphany Moment
I was happy to notice, the other day, that the Nativity alien has resumed his post over on the corner of Howard and 28th Street. If you are ever in Remington you may know the Nativity scene of which I speak. It’s a familiar entourage of plug-in plastic figurines that pop up all over town […]