This Sunday’s text is Isaiah 9:1-7. The Working Preacher commentary for this Sunday seems to be missing, but there’s an older commentary here. I’m reading Abraham Joshua Heschel’s The Prophets right now. Truth be told, it would have been good to read it before I started preaching on Amos, but time being what it is,… Read More
The Pastoral is Political: Liberating the Image of God
As did many of us, I grew up with an image of God straight out of Renaissance paintings: an old white man on a cloud. That one has long since stopped feeling like God to me, and now I make a habit of looking for moments that feel like God. This week, God looked like… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: Complexities and Conflagrations
The Narrative Lectionary is not subtle, is it? Luke is very clear about Jesus’ mission: God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free, to… Read More
Saturday Prayer – This is my body.
This is my body, You said, speaking of something beautiful, sacred, whole. It’s a metaphor, meaning all the good gathered together. This is my body, I said, speaking of something un-pretty, disappointing, broken. It’s a reality, meaning all the parts and pieces which propel me unsteadily through the day. This is my body, creaky and worn. And yet,… Read More
Friday Festival: Calm Amid the Crazy
When the crazy seems ready to take over my life, I am drawn to lovely things, things that slow my breathing down and give me space to put crazy in perspective. Read More
Narrative Lectionary Curriculum: Life Mosaic, a Review
As you know, the Narrative Lectionary follows a school calendar as well as a liturgical one. We spend the Fall semester in the Hebrew Scripture and the Spring semester in a Gospel. I chose to preach the Narrative Lectionary because I want to connect my congregation with the Biblical stories. And I would love for them to… Read More
Wednesday Festival – Passing Time
Sometime about now, Rev Gals and Pals remind ourselves that Easter is truly 50 days. There is time to sit a drink a cool class of water, or a hot cup of coffee. There is time to plan the next thing well after the busy-ness of planning All The Things of Holy Week and Easter Day.… Read More
Saturday Prayer: This and That
Holy One, What a week. Too much of this. Too little of that. “This” and “that” have multiple words and feelings and complications. But you know both “this” and “that,” the words, the feelings, the complications. And you understand better than we do. For this and that, we are so grateful. Amen.
