“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 […]
Tag Archives: Martin Luther KIng
God, our refuge and our strength, we feel the fierce urgency of the now. We long to save the soul of our nation.* We can not be satisfied with injustice- anywhere. We lift up those who endure excessive trials and tribulation. May your creative power redeem their suffering. In our struggles, keep us free from […]
Over 30 years ago, I left my childhood denomination and joined the Methodist church. When people asked me, “Why did you become a Methodist?, I usually answered with one word: “Grace.” In seminary, when I read about Wesley’s idea of “being made perfect in love”, I wrote “this is idiotic. perhaps blasphemous” in the margins […]
I awoke at 3am, perhaps, because of the NYT interactive graphic “477 Days, 521 Mass shootings, Zero Action from Congress” I read before bed. Unable to return to sleep, I went and dusted off a sermon from 2015. Sadly, it was easy to rework it for another shooting. I awoke grieving for Las Vegas, […]
What are your everyday ethics? What metrics guide your daily living? Paul’s letters often offer little passages dedicated to everyday ethics. You might think of these passages as “Checklist for Christian living,” or “Christian Rules to Live By” or a “Jesus’ daily metrics” Our passage in Romans’ 12 revolves around Jesus’ Great Commandment Part B: “Loving […]
Connie and Maureen Meehan worked together as Physical Therapists in the late 1980s. Bill Meehan kept dinner lively with his engaging New York attitude. Occasionally, we babysat for the Meehans. Little Billy’s first grade picture graced their refrigerator. On Picture Day, Billy came to breakfast with only one eyebrow, at first denying playing with his […]
Love is our means. Love is our strength. Love is our hope. Love is the end. Love is the tool God used to save the world. Love is the victory. Love is the only acceptable outcome. 1 John 4:4 & 5:3-5 “Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the God who […]
The Bible has more to say about economics than “Thou shall not steal.” Indeed, the Levitical Holiness Code addresses past oppression, protection for the poor, and justice for foreigners. Friends, Christ calls us to a higher standard of living and doing that enriches and frees us. “8)You shall not steal” Exodus 20 In […]
Chattanooga stung and stings. We grieve for the lost Marines. We grieve for our lost sense community and safety. We grieve for the hate unleashed. We grieve with what we hope is a godly grief. We lament. With the Psalmist we lift heavy eyes to God. At times I want to lash out. Yet, I […]
O Thou Eternal God, O Thou Eternal God, out of whose absolute power and infinite intelligence the whole universe has come into being. We humbly confess that we have not loved thee with our hearts, souls and minds And we have not loved our neighbors as Christ loved us. We have all too often […]
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