Worship Words October 31, 2021

Are you preparing for worship using the Revised Common Lectionary? If so, are you using Ruth or Deuteronomy, Psalm 146, or Psalm 119? Are you using the Narrative Lectionary? Are you observing Reformation Day, following a whole different set of texts? Are scraping the Lectionary all together and welcoming the ghouls and goblins of Halloween… Read More

Worship Words October 3, 2021

Sometimes the lectionary and the traditions of the church don’t exactly combine to make worship planning seamless and easy. Words of Jesus about divorce as the Gospel reading on World Communion Sunday? How’s that supposed to work? I offer no solutions other than being glad there are a plethora of wonderful World Communion Sunday resources… Read More

The Pastoral is Political: Connecting the Dots

We were camped in the mountains far from city lights. On the last night of our annual family reunion campout, the rain went away, the sparkling creek next to our group site returned to its banks, and we were finally able to build a fire. We ate s’mores and laughed about smoke following beauty and… Read More

Worship Words for 29 August

Stress and distress have been the undercurrents of conversations with colleagues this week. The Delta variant of COVID-19 is again wreaking havoc with our worship, education and fellowship plans. Back to school is complicated by fear for families. Climate change and the newest dire report raises feelings of helplessness and dread. The plight of the… Read More

Worship Words for 1 August, 2021

Have you been caught up in the race for Gold, Silver and Bronze at the Olympics-a little distracted this week by the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat? Are you in the U.S. watching hearings that are like tearing the scabs off of barely healing wounds from last January 6th? Our texts this… Read More

The Pastor is Political: Preaching and the Passion

The niceties were over. The Fettucine was half gone when she took her gloves off. The nonagenarian from the Victory Class invited me to lunch at The Olive Garden. I smelled a rat from the get-go. “Dear, I invited you to lunch because I have a request,” she began. “What I am asking is, would… Read More