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How to Lose Without Losing Heart
How To Lose Without Losing Heart Robert P. Hoch July 5, 2020 First & Franklin Presbyterian Church Baltimore MD 21201 First Reading Romans 7:15-25a 15I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16Now if I do what I do not…
Read MoreDaily Prayer
Good Morning, Just a quick note to let you know that I was bumped off our call this morning but do not fear . . . I will give you the texts and a brief meditation on those. And a reminder, that given that the 3rd of July is a holiday, we will not be…
Read MoreChain Reactions
Chain Reactions Robert P. Hoch First & Franklin Presbyterian Church Baltimore, MD 21201 June 28, 2020 Matthew 10:40-42 “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in…
Read MoreLazarus is Walking: Resurrection Uprising in Baltimore
My contribution to the Epistles from Baltimore series for General Assembly was referenced in a motion that passed calling on the PCUSA to begin a process of repentance and study relative to white privilege and systemic racism. I submitted the piece, Lazarus is Walking: A Resurrection Uprising in Baltimore, to the Advisory Committee on Social…
Read MoreSong of the Sparrow | June 21, 2020
Song of the Sparrow Robert P. Hoch June 21, 2020 First & Franklin Presbyterian Church Baltimore, MD 21201 Romans 6:1b-11 1bShould we continue in sin in order that grace may abound?2By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?3Do you not know that all of us who…
Read MoreWhat the Trinity Tells Us about the Value of Humans
What the Trinity Tells Us about the Value of Humans Rev. Stephen Hollaway Trinity Sunday June 7, 2020 It is a fearful thing to be asked to preach in a crisis. You may well wonder if it is relevant to talk about the Trinity on a day like this. If I was in a…
Read MoreI Can’t Breathe — Come Holy Spirit!
I Can’t Breathe — Come Holy Spirit! Phyllis Felton & Rob Hoch Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church and First & Franklin Presbyterian Church Phyllis speaks all bold font May 31, 2020 Acts 2:1-21 John 20:19-23 Maybe Zoom feels like it has helped us . . . or maybe it feels like a desperate measure…
Read MoreDaily Prayer | May 26, 2020
Daily Prayer for May 26, 2020
Read MoreCurtain Twitching
Curtain-Twitching Robert P. Hoch May 24, 2020 John 17:1-11 One of the bonuses of being married to a Brit is that you learn folksy expressions that you would never know about otherwise. One of my favorites is “curtain-twitching.” You almost guess the meaning by how you might be caught by your neighbor, and they…
Read MoreI Will Not Leave You Orphans
I Will Not Leave You Orphans Robert Hoch May 17, 2020 John 14:15-21 Jesus says, Because I live, you also will live. This idea of the living Jesus is really important in John, perhaps more important to John than the other gospel writers. Raymond Brown points out that in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, you…
Read MoreFarewell Conversations
Farewell Conversations Robert Hoch May 10, 2020 John 14:1-1 It’s probably universal the way children interrogate their parents before they leave the house: We’re going out for a little while, say the parents. Where are you going? Can we come? Just out on a little errand, no, we won’t be gone long. Who is looking…
Read MoreTHEOLOGY ON TAP
Theology on Tap May 7 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Join us for a satisfying talk with Paul in his Letter to the Galatians. If “satisfying talk” and “Paul” aren’t quite natural partners in your vocabulary, bring a beverage of your choosing to take the edge off, and together we’ll quaff a pint…
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