Happy Eastertide, everyone! This month we are kicking off the Ordiversary Party with the delightful Claire Beutler-Cruise — a UCC pastor who, I learned from this interview, was ordained on the very same day that I attended a church service on my own for the first time in my life! The second Sunday of Easter… Read More
Tuesday Prayer
God of Peace- In this season of stress, we seek your comfort. In this week of heightened emotions, we look for you to soothe our spirits. Give us the energy needed to endure any challenges this week. Pacify our anxious souls as we care for our congregants and ensure that our worship services engage all… Read More
Worship Words: Holy Week and Easter 2021
Last year, we hoped that Easter was going to be a bursting forth from a short time in the tombs of our homes. Now, a year later, we are not yet where we thought we would be. Yet, resurrection remains true and our eternal Christian hope. Here are some liturgical offerings for this week by… Read More
Tuesday Prayer
God beyond words- I’m at a loss for what to say or think right now. Our common humanity and worth is forgotten with each act of violence. Our connection to one another is cut again and again when another word of hate is spoken. Hold our hearts, Divine One. Nudge us to look past our… Read More
RCL Commentary: Palm Sunday 2021: Living on Borrowed Time, Colts, and Promises
Mark 11:1-11 John 12:12-16 Approaching Jerusalem, Jesus paused. It had been another unsettling week for the disciples – a week full of parables they struggled to understand, an unexpected lunch with a tax collector, and a morbid take on this trip to Jerusalem. But seeing the city in the distance and knowing that ahead lay… Read More
Friday Prayer
O God, our help in ages past…Our hope for years to come… What about now? Where are you now? Where is your saving power, Your eternal peace, Your outpouring of grace in our present? We are in need of you now. The Reverend Julia Seymour serves Big Timber Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Big Timber, MT.… Read More
Tuesday Prayer
God of ajar doors- One year ago we stayed within our homes. And now we look ahead to a world regathering. There are so many people in the stores and roads. Don’t they know there’s still a pandemic? And, simultaneously, don’t I realize I maybe should start slowly and safely re-emerging as well? As the… Read More
Revised Common Lectionary: A New Hope
UPDATE: After this column was posted, another mass murder/hate crime took place in the USA. How are you addressing this violence against people of Asian descent in your worshipping communities? Perhaps this Sunday it would be appropriate to include an extended litany of lament and confession, based on Psalm 51. ADDITIONALLY: this week, leadership at… Read More
Friday Prayer
For those who are out of words for praying- Those who stare off into the middle distance, too tired for sentences or sense. Those whose grief is too deep for anything but sobs and deafening silence. Those who have poured out for others with very little available to fill themselves.Those who have deconstructed lies they were told… Read More
Tuesday Prayer
God of the Smooth Spaces and Rough Edges- In seasons of chaos, when the waters rise, strengthen our hearts to tread as needed. As the winds knock us over, fill our spirits with energy that we may rise again. When panic grips our minds, may our first thought be to your pacifying presence. As our… Read More
