We just finished a pastor/congregation evaluation process at my church. Actually, our consultant says that this is just the beginning! We have exciting work ahead as we explore the summary documents! We should read through them prayerfully every night and consider what God is saying to us through the words of our co-congregants! What an… Read More
Wednesday Prayer
We awake with praise We pause with praise We move with praise We live with praise Not because all is perfect but because we are never alone Not because we have all the answers but because we trust You Not because we are not afraid but because we can lean on each other Not because… Read More
RCL: We Can Work it Out
This morning as I was pondering the interesting mix of texts on offer, I had a sudden realization: these were the Revised Common Lectionary texts for Sunday November 13, 2016– the Sunday following the U.S. presidential election. I chose then as I choose this week, to use the Isaiah and Luke texts. About two-thirds of… Read More
Tuesday Prayer
God of Questions and Answers- In the words of The Clash: “Should I stay or should I go now?” Should I drive on potentially icy roads or stay in my warm abode? Should I go out with friends or stay home to rest? Should I attend one more meeting that I really am not required… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: Many Verses to God’s Love Song
This week’s Narrative Lectionary passage gives us two passages from Isaiah. The first is the love song of the vineyard yielding bad fruit in chapter five. The second is from chapter eleven, a passage we often hear during Advent, where a shoot grows from the stump of Jesse. Commentary at Working Preacher is here. A… Read More
Monday Prayer
A Litany for Today May the love and light be with you in this time of challenge May the love and light be with you in this time of quiet May the love and light be with you in this time of anxiety May the love and light be with you in this time of… Read More
The Pastoral is Political: Beyond Civility
I’ve recently become aware of an organization called The National Institute for Civil Discourse because they launched a “Golden Rule 2020” campaign on November 3. Many mainline denominational leaders participated in the gathering that led to this campaign and subsequently endorsed it. As a result, in my social media feeds, people I respect offered very… Read More
Sunday Prayer
Holy Wisdom, You hear our questions~ The deep ones, the fearful ones, the sarcastic ones, the searching ones, the shallow ones, the technical ones… All the questions, and the questions underneath the ones we ask out loud. You listen, You reflect, You respond in presence and absence, You offer always Grace and mercy. We may… Read More
Saturday Prayer (from Romans 8)
God, Fill us with your Spirit that we might have courage— Courage to be vulnerable, To risk being wrong; Courage to speak hard truths, And to accept them; Courage to lead through uncertainty, And to ask for help when we need it; Courage to try something new, And to try something again; Courage to take… Read More
11th Hour Preacher Party: serious holy parenting edition
Somehow it’s already the weekend. I know I was on holiday this week and just came back to work on Friday, and I know that may not have been the world’s wisest choice because OMG IT’S ALMOST SUNDAY….but better than coming back Saturday night as I usually do, I suppose! Here in Scotland it’s Remembrance… Read More
