9/4/22 The Pitfalls of Piety
The Pitfalls of Piety by Rev. L. John GableSeptember 4, 2022 This morning we come to a turning point in Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. Having spoken about the “what” of the blessing of the Beatitudes, the call to be salt and light and His...
8/28/22 You Have Heard it Said
You Have Heard it Said by Rev. L. John GableAugust 28, 2022 We commonly refer to this story as being The Parable of the Prodigal Son (prodigal meaning reckless, spendthrift, spend until there’s nothing left), but is it really? Is this boy really the focal point of...
8/21/22 The Law of Love and Relationships
8/14/22 Setting the Bar
Setting the Bar by Rev. L. John GableAugust 14, 2022 Have you ever found yourself thinking that you like the Jesus of the New Testament more than you do the God of the Old Testament? That Jesus is the kind and gentle and approachable One while God comes...
8/7/22 Exactly What the World Needs
7/31/22 The Peace of Hearts that are Merciful and Pure
7/24/22 The Righteousness of Peacemaking
7/17/22 O, the Joy of Being Down and Out
O, the Joy of Being Down and Out by Rev. L. John GableJuly 17, 2022 As we launch in to the adventure of our study of the Sermon on the Mount (and I heard your auditory gasp last week when I said we were going to take 16 weeks to walk through this most essential...
7/10/22 O, the Joy of Being Destitute
O, the Joy of Being Destitute by Rev. L. John GableJuly 10, 2022 Little more than two weeks ago I stood with our group of Tab travelers on what is called the Mount of the Beatitudes, overlooking the Sea of Galilee, and recited this teaching of our Lord...
7/3/22 Gleanings…So Far (Part 2)
Gleanings...So Far (Part 2) by Rev. L. John GableJuly 3, 2022 Those of you who were with us in worship last week will remember that I began sharing with you gleanings that I have gathered about life and ministry over the first 40 years of my ministry. I...
6/26/22 Gleanings…So Far (Part 1)
Gleanings...So Far (Part 1) by Rev. L. John GableJune 26, 2022 Forty years ago this month, on June 20, 1982, I was ordained to the Gospel ministry at my home church in St. Louis. Since graduating from Princeton Theological Seminary that year, Kris and I...
6/19/22 When the Journey is Too Great, God is Greater
6/12/22 Life in the Spirit
Life in the Spirit by Rev. L. John GableJune 12, 2022 Perhaps you are aware that the Church operates on a different calendar than does the rest of society. Rather than our following a calendar that goes from January 1 to December 31, the Church follows a...
6/5/22 Born of the Spirit
Born of the Spirit by Rev. L. John GableJune 5, 2022 One doesn’t have to be around us Presbyterians very long to discover that we like to be in control. We like to be in control of our lives and our environments and our emotions. We like to plan our work and work...
5/29/22 The Work We Do in the Meantime
The Work We Do in the Meantime by Rev. L. John GableMay 29, 2022 I wish I could say I was intentional in planning it this way, but I will confess that I was not. Last Sunday we finished our nearly six month study of John’s Gospel and next Sunday is Pentecost, the day...
5/22/22 What About Him?
What About Him? by Rev. L. John GableMay 22, 2022 Have you ever had the occasion of spending an evening with family or friends during which you sat around the table talking and telling stories, some new, others well-known and well-worn, only to find...
5/15/22 When Love Shows Up as Breakfast at the Beach
5/8/22 The First Evangelist
The First Evangelist by Rev. L. John GableMay 8, 2022 We are now three weeks out from the Easter day and we are not yet done with this story. I believe it was John Buchanan, former pastor of Chicago’s Fourth Presbyterian Church, who once said something to the effect,...
5/1/22 The Thomas Among Us
The Thomas Among Us by Rev. L. John GableMay 1, 2022 Talk about cognitive dissonance. The events surrounding the death and resurrection of our Lord must have had the disciples reeling, wondering “What had just happened?” John tells us, “On the evening of...
4/24/22 Can I Get a Witness?
4/17/22 Seeing and Believing (Easter Sunday)
Seeing and Believing by Rev. L. John GableApril 17, 2022 (Easter Sunday) For as many years as I can remember we have opened our Easter services as we did this morning with this reading from the 20th chapter of John’s Gospel. Regardless of the text to be...
4/15/22 Denial (Good Friday)
Denial by Rev. L. John GableApril 15, 2022 (Good Friday) There are many stories in Scripture in which we can identify with the characters involved, perhaps particularly so in the passage we’ve read this evening telling of Peter’s denial of Jesus. It is a...
4/10/22 Following Jesus Down and Up
Following Jesus Down and Up by Rev. L. John GableApril 10, 2022 (Palm Sunday) There was quite a party going on at the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, and for good reason: Lazarus was there after having been recently raised from the dead, and Jesus and...
4/3/22 One Vine, Many Branches
3/27/22 The Prayer That Jesus Prays
The Prayer That Jesus Prays by Rev. L. John GableMarch 27, 2022 I would like for you to think for a moment about your own prayer life during the past few days or weeks, or as far back as you can recall. I’d like for you to think not so much about how...
3/20/22 We Wish to See Jesus
We Wish to See Jesus by Rev. L. John GableMarch 2, 2022 I trust you are familiar with the concept of six degrees of separation, the idea that any one of us could name any person, famous or not, anywhere in the world, and a connection could be made to them...
3/13/22 What Does It Take to Believe?
What Does it Take to Believe? by Rev. L. John GableMarch 13, 2022 Faith is an interesting and enigmatic part of our lives. It seems there are some who, regardless of what happens, will always believe; and others who, regardless of what happens, will...
3/6/22 Talking About Life and Death
Talking About Life and Death by Rev. L. John GableMarch 3, 2022 In January of 2020, just weeks before everything started to shut down from the pandemic, I called my then 95 year old mother one day to tell her that I had a free Friday coming up, my day off, and that I...
2/27/22 What Are You Going to Do with That Rock in Your Hand?
What are You Going to Do with that Rock in Your Hand? by Rev. L. John GableFebruary 27, 2022 What are you going to do with that rock you’ve got in your hand? That is the question you’ve likely been asking yourself ever since you walked in to this service, and it is...