”Why are you weeping?” is the question our Risen Lord asks Magdalene. (John 20). Dressed up in our fashionable Easter finery, it is easy to miss how Easter speaks to our grief. As we come to this unusual Easter, the Good News comes to us stripped down as it did to those earliest disciples […]
Tag Archives: christianity
Luke 23:33-34 “When they arrived at the place called the Skull, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right and the other on his left. Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.’ They drew lots as a way of dividing up his clothing.” John 19:25-27 “Jesus’ […]
On Wednesday, Amy Cooper and Christy Perky led the choristers in a Zoom call choir practice. These elementary schoolers were planning to debut a new musical The Truth About Ruth, for the Sunday after Easter. This musical by our own Christy and Amy will be great when we can once again sing together. Amy told […]
A few weeks ago, I saw a sincere portrait of Jesus in a church classroom. An enormous buff Jesus stood atop the entire earth. One massive foot touched down on the North Pole and descended over Canada. Was it Easter or maybe the Second Coming? This curly headed brunette Jesus wore a dazzling white robe […]
Twenty years ago I ran my first and only marathon. I have managed to mention it about 10,000 times. In order to run all 26 miles you have to stay hydrated. Even elite runners break their stride enough to slurp down a gel pack and pick up a sports drink. Around mile 14, I started […]
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 […]
“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 […]
After my niece and nephew moved out, my youngest son spent the summer in my childhood home. A few days after Caleb moved back into the dorm, Connie drove to Lexington to see him. In Nashville, asleep on our couch, the phone woke me at 11pm. Connie blurted out, “It is raining in the house! […]
“Are you the Expected One, or should we look for another?” John the Baptist’s disciples came wondering if Jesus might bring a deeper rest, or if they should take their expectations elsewhere? The Christmas shopping season is filled with expectations and longings for connection, contentment and joy. We hope Santa leaves us a Lexus with […]
“The lands in longing call out your name; the tongues are diff’rent, the prayer the same. With humble spirits can we believe that God is bigger than we conceive? The will of heaven on this earth be done; the day is coming, oh, let it come. With willing spirits, Lord, let us dare to kneel […]
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