First Presbyterian Church of Valparaiso

Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; My body also rests secure.... You show me the path of life.... In your presence there is fullness of joy. -Psalm 16 (NRSV) These lines from Psalm 16 have been posted on my bathroom mirror for months. I often tape pieces of scripture and lines from poems there, because I know they'll likely be the first things I read in the morning, and the last before I go to bed. As my day begins, the reminders are helpful. But they're even

This is the question everyone is asking out loud; or wondering it privately to themselves. Those of us who are even a tiny bit superstitious will ask it very quietly or just think it; because, we are afraid of being too out front with it or saying it out loud may jinx us all. It is in times like this that some of our inner fears and concerns can sometimes get the best of us. The "what if's..." roll around in our minds and either keep us awake, or worse, wake us up in the mid

"On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment." -Luke 23:56b These past weeks, the winds of contagion and chaos have swept across the nation, blowing confusion and uncertainty into most aspects of life. A simple trip to the grocery store now requires make-shift Personal Protective Equipment ("PPE") and carries with it a concern for contamination. A casual walk around the neighborhood now compels passing walkers-by to anxiously measure in their mind the distance be

Physical distancing. Over 2,000 years ago, this concept that we have been urged to follow for the last several weeks, was furthest from the minds of the people of Israel. The crowds had gathered to celebrate the triumphant entrance of Jesus Christ, our Savior, as he rode in on a donkey on the road to Jerusalem. From a modern perspective, this gathering of the crowds was essentially a parade - the Greatest Parade Ever! In the ancient parade, the followers of the Son of God lai