“Lizard Brains and Fiery Ends” We might like to think of Christian Nationalism as something that exists “out there,” but in reality we are also ensnared in it sometimes. Both historically and in our church today, Christian Nationalism is a powerful force. Naming it, repenting of it, and keeping our eyes fixed on God’s Kingdom of love are vital ways…
Graves, Gardeners and What God Will Do It is THE high holy day of the Christian liturgical year. And we’ll celebrate the resurrection of Christ together with joyful music and celebration. Like Mary Magdalene, who is not expecting to meet Jesus in the garden tomb, we’ll be invited to meet Christ in unexpected ways. Before and between the services we’ll…
Double Vision Scripture is filled with images of triumph and joy as well as images of heartache and lament. The world and humanity are portrayed sometimes as beautiful and holy, and other times they are portrayed as awful and nearly hopeless. Which of these ways of seeing is true? Perhaps our faith calls us to a kind of double vision…
Jerusalem, Jerusalem & Us To whom do we belong? What holds our allegiance? Jesus laments over Jerusalem, and yearns for the day when we let go of our fight against love and the prophets of God. We, too, lament the rage and spite that fills our world, and too often fills our own hearts. But there is hope – our…
Turning It Around As we begin this season of Lent, we hear the story of Jesus’ temptation, and in that story we might hear the story of our own temptations. Unlike Jesus, we often are swayed and give in – not to turn stones to bread, or lead the kingdoms of the world, or leap off the Temple spire, but…
For the Common Good You’ve probably heard the passage from 1 Corinthians that highlights the variety of gifts among God’s people. You’ve maybe been part of a class or taken a quiz to discover which spiritual gift(s) you have. Buried in the middle of this passage is an important phrase that we might overlook – and it gives us the…
What Must I Do to Inherit When Jesus asks the rich man to give all of his possessions to the poor and follow him, we probably wonder whether he’s even talking to us. But what happens if we look more closely at the man’s question, ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ and reflect on how we might go…
Palm Sunday“Where Are We?” The story of Palm Sunday begins our celebration of Holy Week, setting in motion the events that lead to Good Friday and then to Easter. But before we get there, we should ask ourselves – where are we in the Palm Sunday story? Are we the disciples who have travelled with Jesus to Jerusalem? Are we…
