God of light in the shadows, one little candle this week doesn’t seem like enough. This candle named Hope has to burn so brightly, and for so long, lighting the way from our turmoil to God’s peace, from our sorrow to Christ’s joy, from our fears to the Spirit’s grace. And yet behind that little… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: Nap Time (1 Kings 19:1-18)
In these COVID-weary times, this has become a signature scripture for lots of worn-out pastors. Meeting up with Elijah after his big showdown with the prophets of Baal, we find him exhausted. Discouraged. Unable to see that his work is making any difference. Anyone feeling that way about now? Nurses, doctors, teachers, parents, mental health… Read More
Wednesday Prayer
God of hope, disappointment lurks right under the surface of everything these days, and fatigue is overtaking us. Loss is ever present, and the way ahead is murky. We stumble forward, longing for your presence. Let your gift of hope settle on us again, we ask. Infuse us with your love. Bless us with sacred… Read More
Wednesday Prayer
Weaver of time, here we are in between so many things, in between holidays, in between the start of COVID and, we pray, its end, in between hope and resignation, in between grief and peace. Come to us, we pray, in these ordinary times, liven them with your gifts of joy and serenity, and fill… Read More
Wednesday Prayer
O God, Breath of Life, we breathe in and out, forgetting millions of times a day that we draw on the Source of all breath. Our hurried, anxious breaths rush us along, and we long to breathe deeply, drawing from your Spirit. Held by creation’s wind, may we breathe in your spark, and remember who… Read More
Wednesday Prayer
Expansive God, whose goodness is beyond measure, forgive me when I hold things too tightly, anxious about numbers and results. Forgive me for counting my steps and attending to carbs and pondering another cup of coffee, and failing to add up my time with you. Forgive me for listing the roster of my neighbors too… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: Let’s Eat! (Exodus 16:1-18)
Manna looks like a simple fix for a simple complaint. Still, as always, God is up to something bigger. It looks like food, and it’s really the taste of freedom. These COVID days have sparked a lot of conversation about technical vs. adaptive change in the church. We often fail to recognize adaptive challenges, which… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: Beginnings (Genesis 1:1-2:4a)
“September is another January,” writer Gretchen Rubin says often, conveying the feeling of a new start in September. In the U.S., where I live, school is starting, and students, aides and teachers are back to in-person learning in many places. This year, the beginning also feels dangerous, with COVID still hovering. Churches shift to fuller… Read More
Wednesday Prayer
God of all time, we are ready, so very ready to be done with upheaval, with masks, with uncertainty, and yet uncertainty is not done with us yet. Continue to teach us the spiritual skills of nimbleness, of hope, of seeing one another with compassion, of wrestling our own joy out of these days. We… Read More
Wednesday Prayer
At night, Welcoming God, when I can’t sleep, is that you? Are you waking me up so I can pray for someone, with more attention than in the daytime? Should I be examining a flaw I have rushed past during the day, as I answer email and go to meetings? Is it time to set… Read More
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