Thursday, January 7, 2021
Our guide in Cana told us this joke: “The wine is so bad in Cana that if Jesus were here today, he would turn the wine back into water.” I am not prepared to debate the truth of that statement, but Cana, Nazareth, Jerusalem, Jericho, and Hebron are all still...
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
The Epiphany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is a celebration often missed in the flurry and exhaustion of Advent and Christmas. Nevertheless, the Feast of the Epiphany is the culmination of Christmas. The magi went home, the story says, but they went...
Saturday, January 2, 2021
Faith is a word that carries a lot of baggage in the religious world. It is bandied around easily by some and carefully avoided by others. Faith comes from the Greek word pistis, which (I would argue) is more akin to trust. We have faith in many thi….(View this...
Thursday, December 31, 2020
If you knew Jerri, you knew one of the faces of Jesus. She was a beloved woman in our congregation who loved life and willingly gave herself to God and the service of God’s people. Jerri was the first person to step up for anything. She joyfully decorated….(View...
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Camp Barnabas was a place I loved visiting as a child and young adult. A camp for disabled children and adults, Camp Barnabas was a place where many of us could feel relaxed and free to be ourselves, together with other disabled people. Some of us also served as staff...
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Trying to be entirely blameless is exhausting. When we attempt this, we become unhappy and unable to accept failures or mistakes. We deceive ourselves into believing that we are something we are not—and can’t be. God knows we mess up. God gives the gift….(View...
Monday, December 28, 2020
Joseph’s mind must be in such a spin—weird dreams with angels and wise men and a new baby and more weird dreams with angels. He’s dealing with a lot of new information and a significant amount of pressure from all angles. Joseph does what parents all ….(View...
Sunday, December 27, 2020
Jesus revealed to the entire world how much God wants a relationship with us. Out of God’s own love, God became one of us. God’s love for us in Jesus is what makes our lives of faith possible—and impossibly, improbably good. ….(View this reading and more...
Saturday, December 26, 2020
In just two days, the lectionary has taken us from glad tidings flying from angels’ wings in Luke to wayward chicks being gathered under chickens’ wings in Matthew. Yesterday, Isaiah told us about the Prince of Peace and the establishment of the everlasting justice of...
Friday, December 25, 2020
Mary knew her baby would probably be born on the road, so she packed a bag for him. She didn’t know where he would be born, but she knew he would need something soft to keep him warm. My mother knew I was coming, too. Even though I couldn’t stay with her….(View...
