My Blog

I wonder who invented The Door. Doors are universal to every culture I know of, and seem to be a basic piece of architectural design. The whole purpose of a Door is twofold: to keep the Good Stuff in, and to keep the Bad Stuff out. The value to those who hear these readings this weekend is to examine the Doors they’ve created internally for protection or exclusion or solitude. Is God deterred by human barriers? Are there monsters we’ve locked in the closet? What’s behind the Green Door?

During Eastertide, the Old Testament readings are pushed aside for those of the Acts of the Apostles. In the Fourth Chapter (vv.32-35) we read how the Apostles pooled their resources and held everything in common. (socialism!!) Now if they gave away all their treasures, then there was no reason to lock their doors, right? Sorta like the fella from PORGY AND BESS who sang “I got plenty o’ nuthin, and nuthin’s plenty for me…” There’s a raft of sermon material in this passage…

The Epistle is I John 1:1-2:2 which speaks of going Beyond the Doors to a living fellowship with God. Written later in the formative Christian years, the letter address the evident separation within the community of believers over whether Christ was indeed a human manifestation of God. Some had physically closed their doors to others; some had closed their mental doors to any possibility that God was bigger than their human comprehension. The text turns into a confusing (to me) diatribe against sin, which is seen as walking in darkness without the Light of the World. The writer affirms the humanity of Christ by allowing for the cleansing power of his blood.

And the Gospel is the ultimate story of John, 20:19-31, that of “Doubting” Thomas. In the confusion of Easter, the Disciples huddled together and the doors were locked for fear of the Temple authorities. But Jesus appeared in their midst, totally disregarding the locked door! There he empowered them to move beyond the door, each carrying the breath of the Holy Spirit. The Peace which Jesus brings must not languish behind closed doors–although the Church often clusters on the other side of the door from the market-place or the arena of justice.

Twenty centuries after this encounter, the Church is still particular about locking the door. Has “the neighborhood” changed from the earliest days? What are we protecting? or avoiding? Year by year congregations close for lack of interest, even though they sit in the middle of a hungry population. Seems to me that God’s Love cannot be locked behind a door–nor can we who claim his name.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

My wrestle with the scripture assigned to the upcoming weekend can be enjoined every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com

Easter! The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Lift up your hearts! We lift them up unto the Lord! There are several lections possible for the Easter morn celebration: I’ve chosen these as representing where I’m at, this Holy Week of 2021 .

Isaiah 25:6-9 isn’t read enough: it is warm and reassuring, a vision of the future which has already begun. I’m gonna use this more at funeral celebrations. The “mountain” mentioned could be Mt. Zion/Moriah, during the purview of Isaiah of Jerusalem–but I’d rather bring the allegory further to represent the Kingdom of Heaven, God’s ultimate welcome for pilgrims who’ve stayed the course by grace. Here is a great feast, and here God destroys “the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations.” For those who hear this on Easter morning, it marks “the transition from fear and despair to a new way of living in this world and the next.” (George Bryant Wirth, FEASTING on the WORD, B 2:361) Let the Easter message resound: “[God] will swallow up death forever….will wipe away the tears from all faces…” Let us be glad and rejoice!

The Epistle which chooses me is that of St. Paul, in the 15th Chapter of his First (?) Letter to the Corinthians. He speaks here about the husk of the seed–the shroud?– which falls away into the earth, allowing the spark of life there to germinate and flower mightily. “For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality”. This is not an accomplishment on our part, but rather the final grace of our earthly lives, given in order that Perfection may be the finishing touch to Creation.

Mark 16:1-8 is but one of the resurrection accounts, often overlooked because it lacks any evangelization at the end. Some well-meaning scribes have added various statements of “what happened next”; but I think that Mark intended to finish his account here. A point of gladness for me is that Mary Magdalene took a committee with her for the theophany, instead of going “to the Garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses.” This Gospel ends before any one was met by the Risen Christ, yet has the angelic message as central. But instruction was given, “Go, tell his disciples and Peter [especially Peter, still in self-disgrace because of his triple-denial] that he going ahead of you to Galilee…” The physical tomb itself became Jesus’ shroud; now we don’t have any remnant of it ‘cept for a shrine in which we remember the majesty of the Story.

Most of us, during this past year of Quarantine, have felt enshrouded by masks and social distancing. On my gloomy days I can aver that we’re all doomed to a few years of suffocation followed by mass extinction by The Virus. Our Easter hope is counter to all this: There IS a sacred place, a “holy mountain”, where God lifts us beyond the fog which shrouds our valleys of the Shadow of Death! The Lord is risen? He is risen indeed!!

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

My encounter with scripture lessons assigned to the upcoming weekend can be traced every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com

As a preacher of 40-plus years, I still cringe before Palm Sunday. “What can I possibly think of that’s new and grabbing for these seasoned Christians?” Wrong. Folks would be disappointed if they didn’t hear the Old Story of the Triumphal Entry–and besides, there very well may be those in hearing distance who really hadn’t heard this before…or were drifting during previous years. So it’s right and good to revisit this optimistic story, especially in times of uncertainty about pandemics & world affairs.

We begin with the passage of Psalm 118: 19-29. This is chock-full of imagery, mainly that of a festal procession which begins Out There Someplace and winds its way to and into the Temple of Jerusalem. Don’t you love a labyrinth? There’s only one path, it isn’t a maze–yet the way is twisting and provides different views, some of them quite charming. The inner goal is entered only when the full scene is apprehended, and perhaps just when you’d given up reaching the Center. The Psalmist joyfully cries out, “Open to me the gates of righteousness (triumph), that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.” And a gate-keeper replies, “This IS the gate of the Lord; the righteous SHALL enter through it.” The righteous are those who’re square with God; in retrospect, all disciples have been squared with God in Jesus.

In FEASTING on the WORD, Samuel L. Adams reminds me that “the Book of Psalms affirms the steadfast loyalty of God, who has supported an undeserving humanity throughout the ages.” (B 2:147) We would do well to lift up this HESED/steadfast love; as a United Methodist, I’ve rejected the angry-god syndrome, yet there are many who picture Deity as a celestial bean-counter, checking off our bad days against our good ones. So we’re justified in claiming entrance to God-land with other pilgrims who realize that in the name of Jesus our broken-times have been put out with the recyclables! “O give thanks to the Lord, for [God] is good, for [God’s] steadfast love endures forever.”

Pilgrims at the time of Jesus flocked to Jerusalem at the time of Passover, and probably many formed processions upon their arrival. The Passover Entry under consideration was different, this year; Jesus came as an alternative to secular– and religious–power. Ever hopeful, the Jewish folk who smarted under Roman arrogance thought that this one was the Real Messiah, the Second David who would overthrow Roman privilege and establish once again the grandeur of Israel. Explore on through Holy Week, to see how Jesus offered something even better… The Palm Sunday story this year is that according to Mark 11:1-11, which tries to make theological sense out of the secular chanting. Some evidently did get it, as they shouted, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”

When I was five, may parents took me to see “The Wizard of Oz”: it scared the pants off me, especially the green witch and her flying monkeys! Slightly older now, I see the movie as a typical morality tale: Dorothy gathers her friends, they travel the yellow-brick road through many dangers and scary things, and finally arrive at the Emerald City. But the gatekeepers won’t let them in: Dorothy had to confront her fears by bringing them the witch’s broom and thus vanquishing Evil. After many twists and labyrinthian turns, Dorothy baptized her nemesis, who melted into dust… The Path to the Gates of Righteousness is different for most of us, yet the Pilgrims do make Progress (bit by bit) to the place where God is. But surprise! God’s walking with them/us all the way!

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

You’re invited to join me in being shaped by lessons assigned to the upcoming weekend: every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook, or at horacebrownking.com

Evil COULD be done by individuals–but even still, our personal errors are but a reflection of a Greater System. Racism. Materialism. Selfishness. Children, it is said, learn from their surroundings. My own observations are that even though we’re born with some genetic predispositions, our bad habits and vulgar speech are learned from the surrounding family and culture. So in order to bring in the Better World, oppressive systems need to be uncovered, examined and given an alternative. Lessons for the upcoming weekend address these Evil Systems and present a Better Other Way in our journey to perfection.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 speaks of the New Covenant which God is writing on the hearts of Israel and Judah–and their spiritual descendants, I hope! The prophet was disgusted with so much selfish living surrounding him, and he introduces a new covenant as an alternative to the prevailing system. We who have inherited Jeremiah’s vocation will be well-advised to keep identifying the oppression of whatever System is current; and to keep offering God’s pleasant alternative. “Freedom” is not doing just what feels good, but is an acknowledgement that Creation is a corporate and ongoing endeavor. Knowing and being known by God is having God’s law/presence etched indelibly on the heart, despite the cultural scribbling awaiting erasure…

The task of the High Priest was to enter the holiest spot in the house of God bearing the “most crucial human need. [Hebrews 5:5-10] envisions Christ as being forever in this mode.” (Paul Simpson Duke, in FEASTING on the WORD, B 2:137) The author of Hebrews says that Christ’s perfection was gained through the Cross, a danger to us preachers who try to dispel Adoptionism. Yet there should be an exploration of Priesthood, a term to which many will resonate. What does the person of Jesus carry to God on our behalf?

The Gospel, John 12:20-33, is a bit out of context since it comes AFTER the Triumphant Entry of Palm Sunday. It’s here today because it includes Jesus’ announcement that The Time Has Come: now the whole world (!) has seen his role as savior (besides teacher, healer and dispenser of miracles). “The ruler of this world will be driven out”, which is to say that the Tempter who personifies Evil has at last been identified and deposed. The prevailing System of violence and exploitation has been seen for what it really is, the road to death. “Once we have seen the System for what it is, we begin to be set free from its captivating ways.” (Charles L. Campbell, op.cit.)

We recently watched “The Beginning of Batman”–lots of hitting, flame-throwing, car crashes. And of course the Hero saves the day (“biff-bam!”) AND gets the girl. Violence begets a Happy Ending, at least until the next bat-signal. Walter Wink call this sort of stuff “the myth of redemptive violence”: hit ’em hard enough and Justice will prevail, Marshall Dillon! That’s what The System says. Some Hellenized Jews came to Jerusalem for Passover and wanted to see Jesus. Evidently tired of systemic myths, they were ready to look at what God REALLY was about! May it so be for all in your purview…

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

My intersection with Scriptures assigned to the upcoming weekend can be found every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com

The Season of Lent always socks me between the eyes; or maybe it’s a 2×4 to the side of the head. As Jesus approaches the Cross, he audaciously asks me to join him! Not invites. Asks. As a professing Christian, perhaps a better word to me is DEMANDS. Of course I believe–when it’s convenient. I pray regularly, thinking simultaneously of my stamp-collecting. I attend worship, even though I can’t hear much of what’s happening–and so I drift. Again. Scripture for the upcoming weekend involves more angst for the would-be disciple….so it’s good for us to hear. Kinda like cod liver oil.

The story set out in Numbers 21:4-9 was probably better known to Jesus’ community than to us. Long story short, the desert wanderers were griping again; the Back to Egypt committee was in full bloom. Suddenly they were in the middle of a brood of poisonous vipers, and dying like flies. Moses made a brass serpent and put it on a long pole; anyone bitten could look at this talisman and be OK! So what? Firstly, to overcome our poisons we must look at them squarely. To be healed from Evil we must look at it and name it. Secondly, to some this is an allegory for the redemptive power of the Christ, who was “lifted up” on the Cross for the world to see and overcome the poison… I dislike snakes with a passion, and probably you do, too. As far back as Genesis, Evil has been personified by a serpent.

William Stringfellow has written, “Any viable ethic….must deal with human decision and action in relation to other creatures, notably the principalities and powers…” (FEASTING on the WORD, B 2:110) Deep stuff, and Paul’s (?) letter to the Ephesians (2:1-10) is fraught with peril. The author seems to be contrasting Adam’s Fall to the new redemption found in Christ: “God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…” This grace is not our own meritorius action, but purely the gift of God. Good news for those with one foot in the world and the other in heaven. I believe it; but can I give myself over to Christs completely??

And of course the familiar “rest of the story” about Zacheus’ nighttime visit to Jesus, John 3:14-21. Jesus appropriated the story of the bronze serpent in order to connect himself to the tradition of healing through the “hair of the dog that bit me”. Seeing Christ as the Son of God affirms that his mission here is to save, not condemn; and that there IS hope for the earth-bound all around us! The presence of God in symbolized as a searing light that penetrates even the shadows, helping the disciple to name the demons for what they are. Snakes and dragons aren’t as menacing when we can see them and hopefully identify them.

“Please, sir, draw me a sheep.” And so the Aviator obliged; but the sheep he drew had been swallowed by a serpent. Read to the end THE LITTLE PRINCE and think about the role of the Serpent in the entire allegory. So here we are in Lent. Peering through the mists of our subconscious and primal fear to see what really threatens us. Not that the light makes the tawdry and trite disappear; but it helps us to see and name the Serpent.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Come with me every Tuesday to explore the Good News and demands of the lessons assigned to the upcoming weekend: at this spot on Facebook, or at horacebrownking.com

The Season of Lent is that intense time of the Christian Year when we’re expected to search the inner depths and own our actions more’n ever. Lessons for the upcoming weekend dwell heavily upon what God expects from those who claim God’s Name. One of our prevalent myths is that “God knows that we’re flawed persons, so God expects little. Ergo, we can do whatever feels good and blame our sinful natures.” Don’t buy it! As a good parent, God hopes for the best, and is glum when we screw up. The Good News? God is willing to pick us up, brush the dust off and dry our tears, sending us out once again to do better…

The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17)? Sometimes relegated to an ancient expression, these remain the covenantal expectations between God and the People being formed into a Holy Nation in the kiln of the Sinai peninsula. Walter Brueggemann writes in the NEW INTERPRETER’S DICTIONARY, “These commands might be taken not as a series of rules, but as a proclamation in God’s own mouth of who God is and how God shall be ‘practiced’ by this community of liberated slaves.” Barbara Brown Taylor continues, “These practices are not kindly suggestions. They express the purposeful will of God for God’s people…. the teaching describe the way of life. To ignore them is to wander into the ways of death.” (FEASTING on the WORD, B 2:77) Even though they could be read as an impetus to private morality, their real value is as a corporate ethic of this nation God has founded.

Paul explores the wholeness of the Cross in his letter to the Corinthian church (I 1:28-25). In the noise of the City of Man, a rather strident voice is heard announcing that the most terrifying torture of authority is but a way-station along the road of salvation. “We proclaim Christ crucified… to those who are being called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Here is God’s “no!” to the idea of decay and ruin. Here is God’s “yes!” to unfolding life and the continuance of trust as God’s People attempt to hold high expectations. To this writer, the Crucifixion is Jesus saying to the World’s Power, “Hit me with your best shot: I’ll live ANYWAY!”

John’s Gospel places the Cleansing of the Temple (2:13-22) near the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, whereas Synoptic writers include it at the end of Jesus’ travels, during Holy Week. Wherever we find it, the importance of this story is to convey Jesus’ impatience with too many diversions standing between worshipers and God. Some have claimed that there’s a justice part of this, addressing the exploitation of the poor trying to correctly worship. Maybe…yet I’d like to see Lordly Passion (“Zeal for your house will consume me!”) as symbolic of the reality of God overthrowing the trappings and traditions which could be based on Good Sense, in favor of a more simple yet loving expression of Torah. The question arises for each age thereafter: how worldly (secular) can the Church afford to be without losing itself?

I’ve spent my entire life attending to the busy-work of the Church. I hope that God’s Expectations have been found somewhere in this jumble of endless meetings, letter writing and arranging the building’s schedule! Yet beyond Church Renewal comes this directive to re-visit the essentials of living in harmony with God and God’s human creation. The end is more than Happily Ever After, it’s participating in the holy act of maintaining Creation in a relationship with the Creator.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

My encounter with Scripture passages assigned to the upcoming weekend may be viewed each Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com

It’s all my parents’ fault. Maybe aided and abetted by an Elementary teacher, I was told early on that I “Could Be Whatever I Wanted to Be”. In High School, my guidance counselor tried to dissuade me; but it was too late. The twig had already been bent. Most of us own the human myth of thinking that we’re God-like: that we can grasp, overcome and manipulate the world around us to achieve power & fame & glory. Readings for this Second weekend in Lent remind us that God is God–and we’re not!

Abram & Sarai were old. God came to them again (Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16) with a covenant: no ifs, ands or buts, “I will”. Yet it was God’s expectation that these human archetypes would pursue a path of being right with God, i.e., allowing God to BE God. How will things turn out? They still didn’t know the ending–but it didn’t matter, since a Higher Power was in charge! Their new names indicated a deepening of their trust and their renewed walk with God. Who are we becoming, this Lent?

Paul writes, “For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith.” (Romans 4:13) In the ensuing 21st verse we read that he was fully convinced that God was able to do what [God] had promised. Even the improbable can be handled! Kierkegaard tells of the deer, who realizing he was confined, took a mighty leap of faith into “the free world”. Lent calls us, just as Abraham was called long ago, to take such a leap trusting that who we’re becoming will be according to this ancient covenant spoken by God. Question: did the deer leap OUT OF or INTO?

We glibly speak of self-denial and give up peanut butter for 40 days. This keeps us from looking too hard at Mark 8:311-38, where Jesus countered the temptation offered by Peter. This disciple, you remember, just recently affirmed that Jesus was the Messiah–but what he saw as messiah-hood was the powerful restoration of David’s crown. Certainly not suffering and a cross! The passage challenges our human point of view, and causes us to be punched hard with the earthly horribleness of Life With God. “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themSELVES (ego) and take up their [own] cross and follow me.” This is JESUS’ agenda, not Peter’s. W. Hulitt Gloer writes in FEASTING on the WORD, “All our efforts to make another way are a denial of the one who showed us the way, the way of the cross….As long as self reigns, we will forever be seeking painless shortcuts to the kingdom..” (B 2:73)

So who am I, this Lent? I invite you to join me in a demanding quest: first, to identify who we really are (ego); and then, to stop doing those things which seem to be a glorification of the Self and a denial of the Godly. Is this self-flagellation or some other form of masochism? I trust and expect that this habit will lead me closer to the God-head…

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

You’re invited to join me every Tuesday as scripture for the upcoming weekend peels back my pride on this spot in Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com

In a moving article by Rose Marie Berger in February’s SOJOURNERS entitled, “In Paradise, They Play Jazz” there are some quotes for this First Sunday In Lent from Dave Brubeck:

The temptation to rationalize one’s compromising as a means to gain idealistic ends is the theme of the wilderness dialogue between Jesus and the Devil.

Louis Armstrong later sang Brubeck’s lyrics, “They say I look like God. Could God be Black?….You raised us from the dust and breathed a life with trust and gave man the great choice to be alone on earth or one with Thee….When will that great day come?”

Seems as though these may find a home in our weekend homilies. May you have a Blessed Lent…

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

In his book, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, Maurice Sendak tells of a little boy who’s been naughty and given a time-out in his bedroom. He falls asleep and dreams of a land where strange beasts and critters live. They even make him king! Our Lenten pilgrimage is usually to a strange land where we’re confronted by Wild Beasts, demons and the tempter’s question of “Who do you think YOU are?” This weekend’s readings will affirm that God is/has been there before; indeed, has created these wildernesses and times of quarantine. Would that we had only 40 days to go! What will our culture be like when the Ark finally settles onto firm ground?

When the doors of Noah’s Ark finally opened, God spoke to the newly released inheritors of the earth, “I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you…” (Genesis 9:9) As they escaped their quarantine, God hung his war-bow upside-down as a non-intimidating rainbow, and announced that all life is sacred: the green alligators & long-necked geese, even cats & rats & elephants. Some of these are considered “wild things”, yet they’ve been Created with a holy essence running through their veins. This is a radical alternative to our basic (sinful?) nature to despoil the universe by trying to control it. The passage introduces us to Lent as God binds God’sself to this covenant…and evidently expects us to consider ourselves likewise bound.

So where are the Wild Things in I Peter 3:18-22? The lection is a reprise of the Noah story (without the animals) proclaiming the sacredness of all creatures. Here is a creedal statement, especially about baptism and the role which Incarnate God in Jesus continues to affirm. As we consider Holy Journeys, whether to lands of strange beasts or the wilderness where we are developed, here is our itinerary: to move into desolate places where the familiar and comfortable are only dim memories. Discipleship–especially in Lent–rejects our attempts to retire from the field and reminds us (me) that deserts happen; and that there is still Godly comfort and relief when Wild Beasts question who I am….

“(Jesus) was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts and the angels waited on him.” (Mark 1:13) Not much detail, here; we’re invited to imagine our own. Did the beasts of the Ark roar at night for their prey? Did Jesus remember that Adam gave them all names before trying to be God himself? What other demonic forces or hallucinations came to challenge God-made-Man during the sleep-deprived and hunger-filled days of desperation? Jesus too was quarantined and observed social distancing. On an extended solo camping trip to Nowhere, what is essential to bring? and what should we leave behind? What are the nuances between the voices of the Tempter and angels?

It’s too easy to give up potato-chips for Lent. If I were true my calling, my covenant, I would preach to people that just when they’re filled with the Holy Spirit of God, then they’re liable to be sent to the wilderness. I would wait at the desert’s borders to guide other pilgrims across, since I’ve been here before. Pilgrims should be made aware that there ARE demonic questions to answer about who we are: everyone’s demons look different, yet they all have the agenda of wrecking our self-worth. Happy camping! Spring rains and the glories of Easter will be here…in a bit.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Come join me in being assaulted by lectionary readings for the upcoming weekend! Every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com

The opening music for THE MUSIC MAN finds a bunch of traveling salesmen riding a train car in 1906. They were comparing notes about their business, which was perceived to be declining. They blamed the cracker-barrel becoming obsolete, and the Model-T: “you can say what you wanna, but it’s different than it was.” “No, it aint! No it aint, but you gotta know the territory!” Readings for Transfiguration tell stories of change, and are appropriate for pandemic-saturated hearers who by now are convinced that “it’s different than it was”.

In II Kings 2:1-12 we can read about Elijah’s ascent into Heaven in a fiery chariot, right in front of his mentee, Elisha. Who was transfigured here? Many will say that this is about ELISHA more than his mentor: we’re given this story so that we might remember our own experiences with the Holy and the resultant change. Transfiguration implies growth, a maturing of thought about who we are. We note that Elijah & Elisha visit the sacred places, but do not stop there; the ultimate theophany is met in the unnamed space beyond the Jordan. In this unlikely spot, Elisha is now equipped to take up the mantle and resume speaking for God.

In II Corinthians 4:3-6, Paul equates being changed with seeing the light. He says that “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ…” There are many distraction, both outside and inside the Church, which keep us too busy to worship or serve in any meaningful way. My bookshelf-lined study is most comfortably protecting me from the snow coming by my window. Paul keeps urging us Corinthians to allow the Creator of Light to shine clearly from our hearts…

Mark’s Gospel (9:2-9) is the familiar story of Jesus taking Peter, James & John up the mountain, where he was changed before them into a brilliant light, along with Elijah & Moses, the Law & the Prophets. Traditionally we think of this excursion as a way for Jesus to be strengthened for the coming conflict and crucifixion. But don’t forget to include the Fisher-Folk in the story, because it was also done for their benefit. Evidently the world and the people therein are capable of Change, and DO change when so encouraged! The voice from the cloud was specifically for the Disciples and the Church which they fathered.

I’ve gotta admit that I’m a charter member of the Flat Earth Society. I’m distressed by change, and prefer that everything would stay the same. Sometimes I chase History to see The Old Way, and am usually disappointed to see the incursions of modernity. But as the salesmen affirmed, “it’s different than it was!” The computer upon which I write this is an improvement from the word-processor, the typewriter and the pencil. My car has turn-signals and a good defroster; in the future I expect to be driving an electric vehicle. Who knew that we’d be carrying our own phones in our pocket? (Sure beats cranking) Wherever we’re going in this crazy time, there’ll be Change. Pray for me, and I’ll pray for you, that we may welcome this Change and grow!

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Come join me in being changed by Scripture for the upcoming weekend, every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook or at horacebrownking.com