Last night was silent, God. The sanctuary was not challenging the fire marshall’s capacity limit. There were no squeals of delight as members hugged children of the church visiting from out of town. Voices husky with emotion did not meld in a chorus of praise, holding candles aloft. Even so your people, your ministers, were… Read More
Friday prayer: the nights are long
“I’m afraid of the dark” whispered a tender voice beside my groggy head. I followed the voice’s owner down the hall into the room dimly illumined by his nightlight and under his comic book-themed bedsheets. I snuggled him as he vibrated with anxious energy. It was all I could do as he struggled with his… Read More
Friday prayer: tired of waiting
Good God, I am tired of waiting. I am tired of waiting on the vaccine rollout. I am tired of waiting on my kid to stop spinning in his desk chair and finish his virtual schoolwork. I am tired of waiting on church folk to realize that their pastors do not come with a Teflon… Read More
Friday prayer: let us wage peace
God who wages peace, we often think of your vision for this world too passively, simply waiting for conflict to end; too much as a lack of something negative, merely wanting our circumstances to be different than they are now. But your peace is active, urging us to join you in working for it. Your… Read More
Friday prayer: for all the saints
When I was a baby, my grandmother started an add-a-pearl necklace for me. Each year she’d gift me with a tiny new pearl and have the chain restrung. Somehow, I ended up with more pearls than years our lives overlapped. Last weekend I wore my necklace as my brother, surrounded by a handful of family,… Read More
Friday prayer: help us to see and be seen by one another
Immortal, invisible God, how do you do it? How do you put up with people claiming that they can’t see you? That you’re not real? That you can’t be hurt? Certainly I don’t have your long view or capacity to forgive, but I know what it’s like to be invisible, to be told that I… Read More
Friday prayer: make us faithful stewards
God who extravagantly blesses, you give us much and ask us to be purposeful in how we use it. It’s that time of year when many churches think more intentionally about how to allocate their funds and invite members into the spiritual discipline of giving. There’s extra anxiety around money talk this year, since the… Read More
The pastor is political: choose your own adventure
More often than not, I’ve woken up lately feeling like an elephant was curled up on my chest. Here in the United States we find ourselves in the midst of a pandemic that remains relatively unchecked because our leaders lack the political will to make hard choices. Of systemic racism that manifests in new ways… Read More
Friday prayer: companions for the journey
God who does not want us to be alone, my spouse and I celebrate seventeen years of marriage this week. It isn’t always easy, but I’m grateful to have a true partner for the journey. It is in this spirit that I thank you for all people who are good companions: significant others, relatives by… Read More
Friday prayer: communing together
God in all times and places, this weekend is the annual observance of World Communion Sunday. This occasion seems particularly poignant this year. Some clergy and congregations aren’t authorized to celebrate the Lord’s Supper virtually. Many of those that are will do so from separate spaces, given the dangers of the pandemic. And yet, the… Read More
