Common grace is a little-discussed concept that most of us are unfamiliar with. Common grace is the foundational idea that grace is granted to EVERY person, regardless of race, religion, nationality or circumstances of life. Grace is a gift bestowed upon every single person – we are ALL created in the image of God, and as such, each […]
What happens when God seems to simply vanish from our lives? Sometimes, especially in times of trouble or darkness, we can feel like God has disappeared. This can either drive us TO prayer, or it can drive us FROM prayer. In the face of this overwhelming darkness, how do we cope? There are two ways […]
We are beginning a new Lenten sermon series that focuses on Grace. Today’s focus is on Daily Grace – the grace that we experience every single day of our lives. We begin with life’s most basic truth: every breath we take in this life is a gift of grace given to us by God. We […]
The First Presbyterian Church of Plymouth is celebrating 184 years of worship in Plymouth today on our new (and more appropriately timed) Anniversary Sunday. In honor of this event, we invited our recently retired Paster Emeritus, Rev. Dr. James Skimins, to join Rev. Emily Riley Campbell to lead this special service. Rev. Skimins shared his thoughts […]
On this last of the three Sundays on the Tales of Jonah, we look at how, in this story, we see the opportunity for a changed heart through the four characters in the story of Jonah. The Ninevites listened to the words of God as shared by Jonah and were saved from destruction… but then later regressed […]
During our second of three Sundays on Jonah, Rev. Campbell set the story of Jonah beside the story of the Prodigal Son to discuss the subject of anger. Both Jonah and the elder brother ended up being angry, even unreasonably angry, at the circumstances. Jonah was blindly angry over the forgiveness of God toward the people […]
Today we began a three-sermon series on Jonah. Today’s focus is not on the famous whale, however, but on God’s grace, and on Jonah’s reluctance to share God’s grace with others. Jonah spends much of his time at the beginning of this famous story running away from God’s task for him. God actually spent quite a […]
People like gatherings because gatherings make them feel like they’ve been a part of a shared experience, part of something bigger than themselves. But it’s best when we’re there in person. We’re kind of wired to seek out shared experiences in life. Whether it’s for fun, as the annual Groundhog’s Day event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, […]
Lots of people lately are looking for lost relatives. In today’s Bible verse, Mary and Joseph were looking for their lost son, Jesus, who was 12-years-old, as they were returning home from Jerusalem. After three days, they finally found him in the temple, talking with the religious teachers. While his parents were running after him, looking […]
What do YOU plan to do with your life? You probably don’t plan to spend it waiting indefinitely. But that’s what Simeon and Anna did with most of their adult lives. Anna and Simeon were two people whom Mary and Joseph met in the temple when Jesus was just a tiny baby. Simeon had actually […]