Welcome Holy God, help us to be present on this Lenten journey, even as you are present. Amen. Romans 5: 1-5 Therefore, since we have been made righteous through God’s faithfulness,we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have access by faith into this grace in which we stand through him, […]
Amid a national disaster, Jeremiah writes to those unsettled by loss and transition, as Jerusalem was utterly destroyed: “The Lord, our God, proclaims to all those living in exile: Build houses and settle down. Cultivate new gardens and eat the produce. Get married. Have children and look forward to grandchildren. Don’t dwindle away! Promote the […]
A bestselling Christian author captures our American Civil religion promising: “You have the favor of Almighty God. He has lined up the perfect people and circumstances for your future. His favor is taking you where you could never have gone on your own.” How does prosperity fit into a season of self-denial and sacrifice? Will […]
Last week, I preached about how Jesus said: “If two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, then my Father who is in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I’m there with them.” I asked, if two or three of us here […]
Before the boys were born, someone gave us a 4” thick, 573 page guide to our baby’s first year. These days, I imagine someone has invented a parenting app, with location services that can gently chirp suggestions to help you coax a frightened toddler from the top of a McDonald’s playland, as you nurse a […]
In 1997, on a clear cloudless night not long after Lewis was born, I felt a pull to carry Lewis outside. Maybe I felt a bond so rich that being surrounded by walls and held in by a ceiling seemed wrong. I looked up at the starry sky. That same sky called out to Abraham […]
Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves? Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you? Will you use your freedom and power to resist evil, injustice, and oppression? Accepting and resisting are seeming opposites, but they can flow […]
I asked Pastor Darren Wright to sharing his baptismal journey: “A couple of years ago, I found myself sitting in a room across from the table from eight people, as they threw questions at me. I was going through commissioning to become an Elder in the United Methodist Church. It’s not intimidating at all. (congregational […]
“And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.” In 1988, I stood on the steps of the only church I knew. A growing sense of dream-like disquiet rubbed the official teachings of my denomination against the loving community that held me […]
A New Year reminds us of the possibilities of new roads. We, mainline churches, begin the new year with a holy day: Epiphany. Epiphany means “an appearance of God’s divine presence.” On Epiphany we remember the Magi. These wise ones came from the east, outside of the known traditions to seek and find Christ. The […]
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