palmachaplain

  Theme You Are the Salt of the Earth Texts Isaiah 58:1-9a 1 Corinthians 2:1-12 Matthew 5 : 13-20 My Personal Story  This is the story of my journey from Harare to Abuja, Nigeria, with Ethiopian Airlines. My flight departed Harare at 2:00 p.m. and arrived in Addis Ababa at 8:30 p.m. Since my connecting flight to Abuja was scheduled for the following morning at 10:00 a.m., the airline kindly accommodated me overnight at a hotel in Addis Ababa. That evening, dinner was served at the hotel. The dining room was filled with travelers in transit, people from many different countries, cultures, and backgrounds, all gathered around the same tables. As I sat down to eat, I noticed something unusual: there was no salt on the table.I called the waiter and politely asked for salt. To my surprise, her first response was a question: “Are you from Zimbabwe?” Taken aback, I asked her why she would think so. She smiled and said, “We know Zimbabweans. They ask for salt even before tasti...

  Theme Becoming God’s Balm for Creation   T exts Jeremiah 8:18–9:1 1 Timothy 2:1–7 Luke 16:1–13 Introduction The Five Marks of Mission Friends, the Anglican Church describes its calling through what we call the Five Marks of Mission .  They were first shaped in the 1980s, refined in the years that followed, and today they guide our life together. •        To proclaim the good news of the kingdom. •        To teach, baptize, and nurture new believers. •        To respond to human need by loving service. •        To transform unjust structures of society. And the most recent; to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and to renew the life of the earth. This fifth mark brings us here, to the Season of Creation. It reminds us that caring for the earth is not optional. It is mission. It is gospel. Valencia Floods Stor...

Texts Isaiah 1:10-18 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12 Luke 19: 1-10 Opening Illustration : The  Three Kings Parade I remember the first time I went to see the Three Kings Parade, here in Palma. The streets were absolutely packed. Children were clutching their bags, ready to catch sweets, and parents were calling out for them not to get lost in the crowd. The music, the lights, the camels, the colours; it was magical.  But as I looked around, I noticed that many of the children couldn’t actually see what was happening. All they could see were the backs of other people’s coats! So one by one, fathers began lifting their children up onto their shoulders. Suddenly, their faces lit up. From up there, they could see everything, the Kings, the dancers, the gifts. The world looked bigger and brighter. That boy reminds me of Zacchaeus, the man in today’s Gospel. Small in stature, unable to see over the crowd, yet so eager to see Jesus that he climbs a tree. An...