Do you ever get discouraged by human behavior? I do, often. I sometimes find even my own behavior disheartening. We know what is right and good, yet we persist in doing things that are harmful to ourselves, to our neighbors, or to the planet. The other day, after reading a particularly horrid news article, I… Read More
RCL: Get Dressed and Go!
For most of the world, Christmas is over. For a few of us we are counting down the twelve days of Christmas. Many of the people who will gather for worship on Sunday have packed up their Christmas decorations and have moved on to New Year’s plans and resolutions. Yet, on the only Sunday in… Read More
RCL: Hope, Even While the Seas Roar
Over the years, I have grown to love Advent. In the early years of my ministry, I didn’t exactly love the season. It was too busy, too demanding, too conflicted. It was hard to find a message of hope while ignoring the whole idea of the Second Coming. I had tangled up my unfortunate experiences… Read More
RCL: May Our Eyes be Opened
I was 10 when I first needed glasses. I was a little bit nearsighted, nothing unusual or significant. That is, until I first wore my glasses in school. Then I was teased relentlessly. I learned to only put on my glasses for reading the blackboard or watching a movie. That was good for a couple… Read More
RCL: Turning Sorrow into Gladness
I don’t know about you, but it has been increasingly difficult to remain positive and hopeful amidst the political chaos that seems to have free reign over the U.S. (and other parts of the world for sure). People come and ask what it means to be Christian in the face of such chaos. The response… Read More
RCL: Trying to Abide in God’s Tent
After reading the texts this week, my first thought was can we please have more bread? The return to Mark is rather jarring. Many U.S. pastors are on vacation this weekend, some are concluding summer sermon series, and the rest might be right with me in wishing for more bread. Then, without further delay, let’s… Read More
Monday Prayer: Be with us
Holy God, Be with us. Be with us in the quiet. Be with us in the chaos. Be with us in our routines. Be with us when change comes. Be with us. Awaken us, God of Life. Awaken us to your glory. Awaken us to your grace. Awaken us to your presence. Awaken us to… Read More
RCL: Toward a Worthy Life
“Live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,” writes the author of Ephesians. I can’t help but wonder if we have all forgotten that we are supposed to be living a life worthy of the love and grace we have been given. I don’t see much evidence of people striving… Read More
RCL: For the Love of God Edition
Each of the texts this week tell us something about what it might mean to be grounded in Love. While all the passages are familiar, they also serve as a good reminder of what we ought to be about as members of the body of Christ. As we see the rise of fascism around the… Read More
RCL: Waiting for Morning
The nights of weeping feel endless these days. I can’t help but ask when the joy of morning will come. The promise of the dawning joy is woven throughout this week’s texts. Lamentation and yearning lean in toward hope and healing in a way I desperately wish were true in the world. I live and… Read More
