Pray, Praise and Worship: Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World

Pray, Praise and Worship: Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World: We can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Between Monday, January 3 and Sunday, January 9, we'll lay befo...

The Bulletin for Our Service - Sunday, January 2, 2022

Below is the bulletin for our service, on Sunday, January 2, 2022. We're finishing our 6-week series entitled "The  Season of Christmas." During this sixth service, we'll focus on how Christmas is a season of glory. Remember, you can stream the service live by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube page beginning at 10:00 a.m.

Prayer Requests to be shared during Sunday’s service

On Sunday, January 2, Silgo Presbyterian Church will lift to God the following needs.

• Alice Lucas
• Armed Forces 
• Barry Summerville
• Bruce Amsier
• Bruce Bowman
• Bus Clark
• Church Leaders 
• College Students
• Dee, Jeremy & Jacob
• Doctors & Nurses & all essential workers
• Government Leaders 
• Jack Salizzoni
• Jackie Brosious
• Jeff Corle
• Jim Mason
• Josh Charney
• Kara Zimmerman
• Kathy
• Keith McKinley
• Leslie Oswald & her son Es
• Maxine Hartle
• Maxine Simpson
• Melinda Amsier
• Micki Summerville
• Mike Hiles
• Mr. Wolff
• Nancy Blystone and family
• Nancy Campbell
• Nancy Wilson
• Our Youth
• Police Officers
• Randy Frampton
• Richard Wallace
• Riley
• Ron & Shelly Haines
• Rwanda Partner
• Sam Williams
• Samatha Hagan
• Sean Bayless
• The Mike Reitz Family
• The Teachers and Student at Sligo Elementary
• Tyler Reed
• Velma Stewart
• World Vision

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for December 31, 2021

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for December 31, 2021: Let's read the Bible togeth er in the next year.  Today our passages are   Malachi 3:1–4:6; Revelation 22:1-21; Psalm 150:1-6; and Prove...

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - Playground behavior

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - Playground behavior: Believe it or not, God’s people often resort to name-calling and wall-building December 31, 2021 Bryan Delgado via Unsplash If you think chu...

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for December 30, 2021

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for December 30, 2021: Let's read the Bible togeth er in the next year.  Today our passages are   Malachi 1:1–2:17; Revelation 21:1-27; Psalm 149:1-9; and Prov...

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - What the church is called out to do

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - What the church is called out to do: Synod School worship service explores the ‘why’ of the church’s mission December 30, 2021 The Rev. Samuel Son leads worship during the Synod...

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, December 26, 2021

Sunday, December 26, we continued our series entitled "The Season of Christmas." For the seven weeks, we'll look at some of the reasons the Christmas season is special. You see, during what the church calls the Season of Advent and the Season after Christmas, we'll define this time in the following ways:

• November 28 – A Season of Hope (Luke 21:25-36)
• December 5 – A Season of Peace (John 14:23-29)
• December 12 – A Season of Joy (Luke 1:39-55)
• December 19 – A Season of Generosity (Matthew 1:18-25)
• December 26 – A Season of Love (John 15:9-17)
• January 2 – A Season of Glory (John 1:1-10)

You can stream the service live by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube channel. If you miss one of these messages, you can find a copy and podcast on the Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community blog (https://thenettransform.blogspot.com/). 

Below is a copy of the bulletin, a podcast of the sermon and the video of the worship service. 

Sunday's Message - A Season of Love

The Christmas Season is special regardless of your age. It's a time both to celebrate but also to meditate, a unique period when we're able to put aside some of our frustrations and disappointments and to enjoy all the sights and sounds that surround us for about a month and a half. Of course, for Christians, it's even more important, because we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. And for that reason, we have good reason to experience some very special feelings during this time of year.

And so, with that in mind, for the next seven weeks, we'll look at some of the reasons the Christmas season is special. You see, during what the church calls the Season of Advent and the Season after Christmas, we'll define this time in the following ways:

• November 28 – A Season of Hope (Luke 21:25-36)
• December 5 – A Season of Peace (John 14:23-29)
• December 12 – A Season of Joy (Luke 1:39-55)
• December 19 – A Season of Generosity (Matthew 1:18-25)
• December 26 – A Season of Love (John 15:9-17)
• January 2 – A Season of Glory (John 1:1-10)

During this fifth sermon, we looked at Christmas as a Season of Love.

*******

John 15:9-17 [Contemporary English Version]

I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you. If you obey me, I will keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him.

I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am. Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them. And you are my friends, if you obey me. Servants don’t know what their master is doing, and so I don’t speak to you as my servants. I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything that my Father has told me.

You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name. So I command you to love each other.

******

Season of Love

Before I get started on the sermon, I’d like y’all to do something for me. Everybody just inhale. Hold it. Now exhale. Christmas Day is over for another year. Praise the Lord. And pass the Tylenol. And of course, you know what that means. We don’t need to put up anymore decorations. We don’t need to bake anymore cookies. And we don’t need to buy anymore gifts. As a matter of fact, all we’re looking at now tearing down, eating up and exchanging that sweater for a size that actually fits. In other words, Christmas 2021 is now in the books.

But of course, right now I’m talking about the day and not the season. I mean, if you’ve ever thought about what you might do if you got a bunch of dancing ladies and leaping lords, you know that there are twelve days of Christmas, which just happens to be the time between December 25 and Epiphany, the day on which Christians remember the coming of the wise men. And you know, for that reason, for two more Sundays we’re going to look at the Season of Christmas, a series we started back in November. And as most of y’all know, during that time, we considered some of the feelings and the attitudes we generally associate with Christmas. For example, we started by looking at how Christmas might be for us a season of hope, something that’s possible when we trust that Jesus will most certainly return and recognize that our world is temporary and become the kind of men and women who offer hope to others. And then we considered how this time of year can also be a season of peace, especially when we accept peace as a gift from God and claim peace as a lifestyle and pass a little bit of that peace on to others. And after that, we talked about how Christmas can be a season of joy, which is possible when we accept the gift of Jesus Christ and thank the giver and share the glory, and I’m talking about the glory of both the gift and the giver with others. And then last week, we focused on generosity, and we had the chance to see an illustration of that up close and personal when all those young people shared their gifts and talents with us. And so, to this point, we’ve covered how Christmas can be a season of hope and peace, joy and generosity. 

And this week, we’re going to look at something else that generally comes along with the season, and now I’m talking about love. Of course, unlike the other stuff we’ve looked at, I don’t think there’s any shortage of a love this time of year. I mean, even if we don’t get a thrill dragging out all the decorations and we’re just not a fan of icing sugar cookies and we’d rather be boiled in Christmas pudding than to go shopping, there’s still a lot of stuff to love about this holiday. And so, I don’t think it’s not all that hard to see this as a season of love. Unfortunately, I also believe that a lot of this love we feel, well, it just doesn’t seem to last. For example, I love listening to the Christmas carols and watching the Christmas movies and of course, eating the Christmas cookies, I love those three things today and probably tomorrow, but come February or March or April, well, I’ve got to tell you, all three will be a little bit stale. You see, although I may love Clark Griswall and Ralphie a couple times a year, I don’t want to be around them 24/7. In other words, some of the love we feel as we pass through the season of Christmas kind of fades as we plow through the dog days of winter.

And I’ll tell you, that’s the reason we’re going to spend a little time talking about love this morning, and in particular, how Christmas can become for us a genuine season of love rather than just infatuation. And you know, if you’re expecting me to talk about three things we can do to make that a reality, well, I’m sorry; you’re probably going to be really disappointed, because I think there are only two things that are necessary to extend some of that Christmas love right into the new year and beyond. And I’ll tell you, both are grounded in decisions we can make right now and continue to make as we move into the future.

You see, I believe Christmas can actually be for us a season of love when we decide to accept love from God, and I’m talking about the love that he has for each and every one of us here. Now, in my opinion, that’s the first thing we can do. But before you just assume that accepting God’s love is really easy, well, I think it’s more challenging than we may think. And frankly, what makes it challenging has to do with us rather than God. You see, when it comes to his love for us, man, I think we all have a tendency to try to control it and to qualify it. Let me show y’all what I’m talking about. In my opinion, one of the most power statements of God’s love was made by the Apostle Paul, when he wrote this to the Romans:

Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death?

In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord! [Romans 8:35, 37-39, CEV]

Good stuff, right? Well, it would be if we left it alone. But just like a scab or a bowl of potato chips, man, we just can’t seem to help ourselves. And so we tack something to the end of the passage, you know, to control and to qualify it. I mean, instead of allowing the exclamation mark just to stand all by itself, often we feel the need to add a “but” or an “if” or a “when.” In other words, “nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord” [Romans 8:39b, CEV], “but...” or “if...” or “when...” Now do you see, what’s happened? We’ve taken something that’s emphatic and free and made it a little bit vague and definitely conditional. In a sense, we’ve reshaped it in a way that reflects our values and that makes us feel really comfortable. You see, we’ve taken control of God’s love and neatly excluded all those frankly we don’t think deserve it. Of course, here’s the problem; it’s not God’s love anymore. Instead, it’s just us projecting our love on God

And for the reason, if we’re serious about accepting what is actually the love God offers to us, his children, we really need to recognize that regardless of what we think it should be, God’s love is always a gift, an undeserved gift. It’s like Paul wrote to the Ephesians: But God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much that he made us alive with Christ, and God’s wonderful kindness is what saves you. God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven. [Ephesians 2:4-6, CEV] You see, this is God’s love for us. And I’ll tell you, if we want to experience it, instead of trying to control it and instead of trying to qualify it and instead of trying to break it down and putting it under a spiritual microscope so that we can understand it, maybe we should just relax and accept it. And you know, we can accept it even when life becomes difficult. It’s like the Psalmist wrote:

Proud and violent enemies,

    who don’t care about you,

    have ganged up to attack

    and kill me.

But you, the Lord God,

    are kind and merciful.

You don’t easily get angry,

    and your love

    can always be trusted. [Psalm 86:14-15, CEV]

You see, if we want this to be a loving season that lasts beyond Christmas itself, we can decide to accept love from God. That’s the first thing we can do.

And second, we can also decide to show love to others. And you know, when you think about it, our willingness to show compassion and grace and mercy to those around us, man, it’s really an extension of what God has already shown to us. It’s like John wrote in his first letter:

My dear friends, we must love each other. Love comes from God, and when we love each other, it shows that we have been given new life. We are now God’s children, and we know him. God is love, and anyone who doesn’t love others has never known him. God showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life. Real love isn’t our love for God, but his love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven. Dear friends, since God loved us this much, we must love each other. [1 John 1:7-11, CEV]

Or as Jesus said in the passage we read a little while ago:

I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you. If you obey me, I will keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him.

I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am. Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. [John 15:9-12, CEV]

Of course, the love we’re called to show others, well, it can’t be exactly like the love God has shown to us. I mean, God’s knowledge of us is absolute and complete. It’s like what Jesus said when he was teaching his disciples about prayer: When you pray, don’t talk on and on as people do who don’t know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask. [Matthew 6:7-8, CEV] I mean, let’s get really; we’re not God. I mean, dah. And so, when push comes to shove, we really don’t know, do we? And for that reasons, we’re going to need to listen, you know, so that we can hear the needs of others. And we’re going to have to look so that we can see the opportunities to act. And then, after the listening and the looking, we’re going to need to do something, to do something about what we hear, using the opportunities that we see. It’s like Paul wrote to the Romans:

Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. Take care of God’s needy people and welcome strangers into your home. [Romans 12:9-13, CEV]

You see, if we want this to be a season that lasts beyond Christmas day, along with accepting love from God, we can decide to show love to others. That’s the second thing we can do.

As we talked about a while ago, we’re now gone past Christmas Day; therefore, the end of the holiday tunnel is in sight. Of course, we really knew that going in. But as we prepare to move on into the new year, we can make the decision to take some of the spirit of Christmas with us. You see, each and every day, we can decide to accept love from God and we can decide to show love to others. And I’ll tell you, if we do, we’ll be turning the new year into just that, a season of love.

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for December 29, 2021

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for December 29, 2021: Let's read the Bible togeth er in the next year.  Today our passages are   Zechariah 14:1-21; Revelation 20:1-15; Psalm 148:1-14; and Pr...

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - An unexpected blessing

Witness, Share and Evangelize:Today in the Mission Yearbook - An unexpected blessing: Synod School message: We’re called out to be a blessing December 29, 2021 Photo by Salomè Jangulashvili via Unsplash Blessings can come from...

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Christmas Eve Service - Sunday, December 24, 2021

SPC gathered for our Christmas Eve Candlelight service on Friday evening, at 7:00 p.m. During our time together, we celebrated the birth of Christ through readings, carols and communion.  You can stream every service live by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube page.

Below is a copy of the bulletin and a podcast of the sermon and the service.

The Message for Christmas Eve - Gathering on Christmas Eve (Luke 2:1-20)

Below is the message Pastor Rudiger offered during our Christmas Eve candlelight service. It's based on the Christmas story, as written by the Evangelist Luke. 

Luke 2:1-20 [Contemporary English Version]

About that time Emperor Augustus gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record books. These first records were made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 

Everyone had to go to their own hometown to be listed. So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David’s hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David’s family.

Mary was engaged to Joseph and traveled with him to Bethlehem. She was soon going to have a baby, and while they were there, she gave birth to her first-born son. She dressed him in baby clothes and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn.

That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord’s glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David’s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay.”

Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said:

“Praise God in heaven!

Peace on earth to everyone

    who pleases God.”

After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.” They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and they saw the baby lying on a bed of hay.

When the shepherds saw Jesus, they told his parents what the angel had said about him. Everyone listened and was surprised. But Mary kept thinking about all this and wondering what it meant.

As the shepherds returned to their sheep, they were praising God and saying wonderful things about him. Everything they had seen and heard was just as the angel had said.

Gathering on Christmas Eve

Now, I’ve got to tell you; love coming to church on Christmas Eve. As a matter of fact, for the last thirty-five years, my two favorite services in the whole year are Good Friday and Christmas Eve. Of course, my reason for liking these two are entirely different. I mean, while Good Friday is very serious and sober because we’re focused on the crucifixion, Christmas Eve, man, it’s just a blast, because we’re celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the reason for the season. And so every year, I look forward to gathering at church so that we can sing some carols and share communion and light candles. What a wonderful way to close out the year. And I’ve got to tell y’all, since this is my first Christmas Eve in Sligo, and having my wife and daughter here, man, this evening is extra special, at least, it is to me.

But you know, as I was thinking about it this past week, the idea of gathering, well, I don’t think that’s a major emphasis in our society anymore. In other words, I just don’t think people enjoy doing it like they used to. I mean, although we can still get together at church every week and go to games or plays or concerts every-now-and-then, there’s a lot of stuff in our world that sort of pull us apart, you know what I mean. Let’s get real, we tend to be more comfortable standing as individuals then in hang out in groups. For example, sometimes, when I’m walking my little dog Coco in the morning, we’ll pass maybe eight or nine kids waiting for the bus. And even though they’re standing in a little group, they’re all on their cell phones. Now let me be clear, I’m not saying that’s wrong or bad, it’s just different from what I remember. I mean, it just seems as thought we’ve become a little more isolated than we used to be. And I’ve got to tell, going through this pandemic, man, I think that’s made it even worse. There just doesn’t seem to be as much gathering as there used to be.

And I’ll tell you, maybe that’s why I enjoy Christmas Eve so much, because we’re all here. And you know, this idea of getting together to celebrate the birth of Jesus, well, I think it’s actually in the passage we read a little while ago. I mean, remember, since those shepherds were guarding their sheep out in these fields near Bethlehem, I’ve got to believe they weren’t hanging out together in the same place. Now they weren’t on their cell phones; still they sure weren’t together. Good night nurse, I grew up in the city, but even I know that would be a pretty stupid way to protect a scattered flock. No, according to what we read, these guys didn’t gather together until they heard the angel and then decided to go and to find the baby. You see, for those shepherds, the birth of Jesus really gathered them together in a new way.

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s something important for us to remember, particularly when we leave here this evening and go about our regular business. You see, as people who’ve come here to celebrate the coming of Christ, when we choose to gather together, I believe that three things will happen to us just like they happened to those shepherds. And let me share them with you right now.

You see, first, when we’re together, I think we we’re better able to feel God’s presence, something that, like I said, we can see happening to the shepherds. I mean, the voice of that angel gathered a bunch of guys who were guarding a bunch of sheep scattered in a bunch of fields. And when they were together, not only did they hear the angel say, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David’s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay” [Luke 2:10b-12, CEV], they also heard all those other angels saying, “Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God.” [Luke 2:14, CEV] Now that’s what happened to them, and I’m telling you, it can happen to us. You see, when we’re together, when we’ve gather as the Body of Christ to sing and to pray and praise, I believe we can hear God and his words in a special way. And we can experience his presence as his Spirit draws us together, something that he’s doing tonight. I’ll tell you, first, when we gather, I believe we’re better able to feel God’s presence.

And second, I also think we’re better able to help one another, and I’m talking about helping one another do what is necessary for us to do. And again, I think this is something else that we can see with those shepherds in the story we read. I mean, do you remember what happened “after the angels had left and gone back to heaven” [Luke 2:15a, CEV]? According to Luke, “the shepherds said to each other, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.’ They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and they saw the baby lying on a bed of hay.” [Luke 215b-16, CEV] Now, I think that’s really important. You see, after the heavenly host had gone, the shepherds didn’t split up or scatter. Instead, they went together, you know as a group. And in the end, they found what they were looking for, the one about whom the angel spoke. Now that’s what happened to them. And I’m telling you, it can also happen to us. You see, when we choose to face problems and pain, confusion and doubt not as isolated individuals, but rather as members of a body, a community, a family, I think we’ll be in a much better position to hear the needs of our friends and neighbors, our brothers and sisters. And we’ll be able to respond in a way that helps them, not just ourselves. You see, second, when we gather, I believe we’re better able to help one another.

And third, right along with feeling God’s presence and helping one another, when we gather together, I believe we’re better able to share the Good News, and I’m talking about sharing it by showing the kind of love and mercy that Jesus Christ both lived and encouraged. You see, this is something that I think we can most effectively do together. And I’ll tell you, isn’t this exactly what happened with those shepherds, and I’m talking about, after they’d left Mary and Joseph and the baby? Remember, according to Luke, “as the shepherds returned to their sheep, they were praising God and saying wonderful things about him. Everything they had seen and heard was just as the angel had said.” [Luke 2:20, CEV] You see, they left the manger praising God and telling anyone who would listen what they’d seen and heard. And together, man, we can do the same thing. We can accept that we have a message to share, one grounded in this truth: God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them! [John 3:16-17, CEV] You see, we can share this message. And we can share it certainly through the words we use, but maybe more importantly through the lives we choose to live. I’m telling you, third, when we gather together, I believe we’re better able to share the Good News.

Now, I’ll always love Christmas Eve, but not just for the carols and the communion and the candles. You see, tonight can be a powerful reminder. Although there’s all kinds of stuff in our world that separates us, when Christians gather together, like we’re doing this evening, I believe we’re better able to feel God’s presence and we’re better able to help one another and we’re better able share the Good News. You see, maybe that’s what gathering on Christmas Eve is all about.

Looking at Mark - It's a Miracle (Mark 4:35–5:43)

On Wednesday mornings beginning at 10:30 a.m., your friends and neighbors at Sligo Presbyterian Church gather to discuss our faith in Jesus Christ. Currently, we're using the Gospel of Mark as our guide. Pastor Rudiger is leading the discussion and everyone is invited. We’ll be covering the following topics:

• Session 1: Setting the Stage (Mark 1:1-13)
• Session 2: Good Times, Good Times (Mark 1:14-45)
• Session 3: Grey Clouds (Mark 2:1–3:6)
• Session 4: Sharing the Message (Mark 3:7–4:34)
• Session 5: It’s a Miracle (Mark 4:35–5:43)
• Session 6: Taking Sides (Mark 6:1-29)
• Session 7: More of the Same (Mark 6:30–7:23)
• Session 8: “You Are the Christ” (Mark 7:24–8:30)
• Session 9: The Rest of the Story (Mark 8:31–9:29)
• Session 10: Not Their Best (Mark 9:30–10:31)
• Session 11: More of the Same (Mark 10:32-52)
• Session 12: Coming in for a Landing (Mark 11:1-33)
• Session 13: In Contrast (Mark 12:1-44)
• Session 14: What's Coming (Mark 13:1-37)
• Session 15: Beginning to Spiral (Mark 14:1-42)
• Session 16: Son of God (Mark 14:43-15:47)
• Session 17: “for” (Mark 16:1-8)

During our fifth session, we discussed Jesus performing miracles. The passage is below:

Mark 4:35–5:43

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when he had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him. He lived among the tombs; and no one could restrain him any more, even with a chain; for he had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the shackles he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always howling and bruising himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him; and he shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he had said to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” He begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now there on the hillside a great herd of swine was feeding; and the unclean spirits begged him, “Send us into the swine; let us enter them.” So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea.

The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him. But Jesus refused, and said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.”

So he went with him. And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for December 28, 2021

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for December 28, 2021: Let's read the Bible togeth er in the next year.  Today our passages are   Zechariah 12:1–13:9; Revelation 19:1-21; Psalm 147:1-20; and ...

Pray, Praise and Worship: Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World

Pray, Praise and Worship: Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World: We can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Between Monday, December 27 and Sunday, January 2, we'll lay be...

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - ‘An amazing love story’

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - ‘An amazing love story’: Synod School preacher: God chose us through Christ before laying the foundation of the world December 28, 2021 The Rev. Samuel Son, the Pres...

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for December 27, 2021

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for December 27, 2021: Let's read the Bible togeth er in the next year.  Today our passages are   Zechariah 10:1–11:17; Revelation 18:1-24; Psalm 146:1-10; and...

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - ‘It is very good’

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - ‘It is very good’: Selfies and snaps of seatmates round out Synod School’s opening convocation December 27, 2021 the Rev. Dr. Jill Duffield After telling the 4...

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for December 26, 2021

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for December 26, 2021: Let's read the Bible togeth er in the next year.  Today our passages are   Zechariah 9:1-17; Revelation 17:1-18; Psalm 145:1-21; and Pro...

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - Pandemic forces more Philippine families into poverty

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - Pandemic forces more Philippine families into poverty: Presbyterian Mission Agency partner feeds children’s bodies and spirits December 26, 2021 The Children’s Rehabilitation Center in the Philip...

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for December 25, 2021

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for December 25, 2021: Let's read the Bible togeth er in the next year.  Today our passages are   Zechariah 8:1-23; Revelation 16:1-21; Psalm 144:1-15; and Pro...

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - When the Word moves into the world

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - When the Word moves into the world: This Christmas Eve, may we be ready to bear Christ again and anew December 24, 2021 The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neig...

Our Bulletin for the Christmas Eve

SPC will gather for our Christmas Eve Candlelight service on Friday evening, at 7:00 p.m. During our time together, we’ll celebrate the birth of Christ through readings, carols and communion. And after the service, you’re invited share refreshments and fellowship. You can stream the service live by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube page.