January 29, 2012 Riviera Presbyterian Church Mark 1:21-28 Laurie Ann Kraus Mark 2:1-12 With Authority Lord, oil the hinges of my heart’s door, that it may swing gently and easily to welcome your coming. The gospel of Mark wastes no time getting down to business, after the preliminaries of birth, baptism, temptation and disciple recruiting—subjects [...]
1/22/12 Ordinary Time Riviera Presbyterian Church Laurie Ann Kraus the book of Jonah Changing Our Mind (lose your mind and come to your senses.) –Fritz Perls, gestalt therapy founder Why are you on this planet? What principles do you choose to practice in service of this purpose? How many of you have ever breached those [...]
December 11, 2011, Advent 3 Riviera Presbyterian Church Laurie Ann Kraus John 1:6-8, 14-28 the shape of god There is a curious poverty to the Advent readings that begin our current lectionary year “B”—as if the table had been set for a party, the guests invited, but the host forgot [...]
Advent 2, December 4, 2011 Psalm 85 Riviera Presbyterian Church Isaiah 40:1-11 Laurie Ann Kraus Mark 1:1-8 Gospel Changes “the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God.” Well I listened to what the good book said, and it made good sense to me [...]
November 27, 2011 Advent Sunday Riviera Presbyterian Church Laurie Ann Kraus Mark 13:24-37 …a bride, married to amazement Jesus’ injunction in the gospel of Mark to “keep awake” took on an ironic new meaning this weekend when I learned that many of the stores that used to open at six am on [...]
November 13, 2011 Riviera Presbyterian Church Laurie Ann Kraus Matthew 25:14-30 The Gospel’s Got TALENTS! Whenever I go to get my hair cut, the wonderful young woman who repairs my nails always asks me, did you watch American Idol last night? I don’t watch television talent contests, I reply. Oh, she says, [...]
10/30/11 Riviera Presbyterian Church Laurie Ann Kraus Joshua 3:1-17 “reformed, and always reforming” Today is Reformation Sunday—a protestant kind of observance which, I confess, I have not always treated with spiritual enthusiasm. allowing it (if you’ll permit me a sports analogy) to languish liturgically in the back field of team [...]
October 9, 2011 Ordinary Time Riviera Presbyterian Church Laurie Ann Kraus Exodus 32:1-14 …the hole where God should be What pushes you off Center, these days? Makes you edgy, sends you scrambling for something, Anything, to fill the void or silence the restless, anxious voices that keep you awake [...]
September 18, 2011 Riviera Presbyterian Church Genesis 50:11-17 Cycle of Violence This Wednesday marks a tenth anniversary for Rais Bhuiyan, a Bangladeshi immigrant from Dallas, Texas. Ten days after the 9-11 disaster, he was at his convenience store job when Mark Stroman, a white supremacist, walked in and began to shoot, killing [...]
August 28, Ordinary TIme Riviera Presbyterian Church Laurie Ann Kraus Exodus 3:1-15 “it is what it is” In our bible study group on Wednesday morning, we had taken a moment to stop and notice—where was our attention being drawn, by this old, familiar story in Exodus? What phrases stood out? [...]
