How many of us remember the old detective series Columbo on TV back in the 1970s?   As a mystery series, it was unique because each show started with the actual murder (always committed by that week's guest star). Then our rumpled detective Columbo, wearing a baggy raincoat, would be introduced to the scene, and we would wonder how he was going to crack the case. He would bumble along slowly in his abnormally calm, questioning manner, always waiting until just before he part

-- the Rev. Leslie Barnes Scoopmire Readings: 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c Psalm 111 2 Timothy 2:8-15 Luke 17:11-19 On October 1, the church's calendar of saints recognized the feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux. As I was going about my prayers that day, I did some investigation into her life, and I found this tale of an encounter with the saint:   A man from Canada spent years traveling to Europe and doing a lot of work to promote the message of Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flowe

Whether we believe in heaven or hell-- or Hades-- or not, the fact is that what we do with our lives matters, and how we respond to the human needs and suffering we know exist all around us-- is what matters.

by the Rev. Leslie Scoopmire Readings: Amos 8:4-7 Psalm 113 1 Timothy 2:1-7 Luke 16:1-13 Wealthy in Soul-- Sermon for the 15th Sunday after Pentecost   Once there was a man who had two sons, and his younger son came to him and asked for his inheritance to be settled upon him now. So his father gave him his share, and the younger sone went off to a foreign country, where he promptly spent all he had on wild living, food drink, parties, and a questionabbleentourage of hangers-o

God can change God's mind, and God calls us to change our hearts, especially our inaction in the face of violence.

We carry our crosses for love's sake.

A drawing of an Opossum, which is often just called "Possum." by the Rev. Leslie Scoopmire When Mother Leslie and her sister were little,...

by the Rev. Leslie Barnes Scoopmire Readings: Proverbs 25:6-7 Psalm 112 Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 Luke 14:1, 7-14 I'm not a big fan of commercial country music radio. I hardly ever listen to it, to be honest. Maybe it was all those gazillions of miles driving 75 miles an hour over the Plains to Grandma's house, trapped with my siblings in the back seat of a 1969 Lincoln Continental with suicide doors as Conway Twitty wailed about heartbreak on my dad's 8-track player up in front,

the best way to keep the sabbath is by remembering it was created for love and for freedom.

Jesus calls us to proclaim his gospel faithfully and bravely-- in the name of love

Readings: Acts 11:1-18 Revelation 21:1-6 John 13:31-35 Psalm 148 -- The Rev. Leslie Barnes Scoopmire   One of my favorite bits of wisdom from the TV series Ted Lasso was this observation originally stated by the great American poet, Walt Whitman: “Be curious, not judgmental.” Ted was saying this in the context of not judging people based on our own assumptions, rather than getting to know people personally by being curious about them.   The root of Ted Lasso’s coaching of oth

The Christ Child as the Good Shepherd, Ivory carving, Goa culture, India, 17th century Live by faith, grow in grace, and walk in love with St. Martin's this coming Sunday as we come together, in person as well as online, for worship, thanksgiving, and praise. Wherever you are on your journey of faith, allow us to walk alongside you. Please click here to download the service bulletin:

How do we respond in times of turmoil, in times of crisis, in times of rapid change, in times in which hope is in all too short of a supply?

Detail from the Transfiguration, modern icon, written by Ivanka Demchuk, Ukraine by the Rev. Leslie Scoopmire Readings: Exodus 34:29-35 Psalm 99 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 Luke 9:28-36, [37-43a] It is March. It is a time when Mother Nature giveth, and Mother Nature taketh away, as we saw in the glory of Thursday and Friday and bone-rattling chill of Saturday and today. But March also means that, thanks be to God, the start of baseball is right around the corner, as the full teams

--by the Rev. Leslie Barnes Scoopmire Readings: Genesis 45:3-11, 15 Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42 1 Corinthians 15:35-38,42-50 Luke 6:27-38   A couple of weeks ago Bill and I started seeing ads for a new show being prepared for daytime TV—it’s a new soap opera called “Beyond the Gates”—the first new daytime soap since 1999.   Are you kidding me? In a world that has about a hundred different versions of Real Housewives of every town with a population over 5000 people, they think we nee

La sermon de béatitudes, James Tissot, from The Life of Christ series, 1886-1896   by the Rev. Leslie Scoopmire Readings: Jeremiah 17:5-10 Psalm 1 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 Luke 6:17-26 In late December of 1968, the three crewmembers of Apollo 8—Bill Anders, Frank Borman, and James Lovell-- became the first humans to leave the gravitational pull of the Earth and orbit another celestial body—the Moon. They reached the moon right around Christmas Eve, and made a television broadca

Mercy is at the heart of Jesus' ministry and at the heart of following Jesus and being part of the Body of Christ.

To find the inner peace that Jesus gives, as seekers we have to be willing to acknowledge, to ourselves first of all, what we are seeking.

Every time we hear this story, we get another chance to say yes, like Mary said yes and Joseph said yes and even those shepherds said yes

Readings for the Feast of All Saints, Year B Isaiah 25:6-9 Psalm 24 Revelation 21:1-6a John 11:32-44 -- The Rev. Leslie Scoopmire   November is Native American Heritage Month. In the church calendar, this month also starts with remembering the saints of God, those who embody the Way of Jesus. The next day we remember our ancestors and loved ones who gone before us into the communion of saints through death. That’s perfect too, as the seasons themselves in the circle they tra