My Pastoral Ponderings

Posted on December 12, 2019April 13, 2020 by Rev. James E. Laurence

Thy Kingdom Come: A Reflection on Psalm 72

Here is a reflection on a psalm fit for a king, Psalm 72. This was shared during last night's Advent Vespers Service.

Posted on December 9, 2019April 13, 2020 by Rev. James E. Laurence · 2 Comments

Change Your Mind! My Sermon on December 8, 2019

John the Baptist tells us that the best way to get ready for Christmas, and for Christ's promised return, is to change our minds. Here is my sermon on Matthew 3:1-12.

Posted on December 5, 2019April 13, 2020 by Rev. James E. Laurence

Glad to Go to the House of the Lord: A Reflection on Psalm 122

Here is a reflection on a beloved psalm, sung by countless pilgrims on the journey of faith. Let us go the house of the Lord!

Posted on December 4, 2019April 13, 2020 by Rev. James E. Laurence · 5 Comments

Let Christmas Carry You

Are you trying to carry the burden of Christmas? In this post, I remind myself and you to cast our burdens on the one whose birth we celebrate at Christmas.

Posted on December 2, 2019August 23, 2021 by Rev. James E. Laurence

Ready? My sermon on the First Sunday in Advent

Advent is here. Are you ready? Jesus is coming, at an unexpected hour. Are you ready? Here is my sermon for the First Sunday in Advent.

Posted on November 21, 2019April 13, 2020 by Rev. James E. Laurence

Are you feeling anxious and stressed out? Are you finding it difficult to pray? Is so, then I want to share with you a simple spiritual practice that I have found helpful, the practice of breathing, and letting our breathing become prayer.

Posted on November 18, 2019December 1, 2020 by Rev. James E. Laurence · 1 Comment

Not One Stone: My Sermon on November 17, 2019

Not one stone will be left of the temple! So where do we go when life comes crumbling down? Here is my sermon on this subject, using Luke 21:1-19 as my text.

Posted on November 12, 2019April 13, 2020 by Rev. James E. Laurence · 1 Comment

Bonus Sermon: A Sermon I Preached at the Lutheran Church in Matamba, Tanzania in 2017

I didn't preach on Sunday, so here is a "bonus sermon" from 2017, when I was deeply honored to be invited to preach at the Lutheran Church in Matamba, Tanzania while on a mission trip there.

Posted on November 7, 2019April 13, 2020 by Rev. James E. Laurence

Discovering Your Vocation

Let's ponder the right questions to ask when we are not sure what to do with our life, and find our vocation.

Posted on November 4, 2019April 13, 2020 by Rev. James E. Laurence · 2 Comments

“Blessed Are You.” My sermon on November 3, 2019, All Saints Sunday

Then Jesus looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Luke 6:20 “Blessed are you,” Jesus says. “Blessed are you.” But what does it mean to be blessed? The notion of being 'blessed' goes back a long, long way. In ancient Greek and…