A few days after my mother died, I went to church. I wasn’t preaching so I thought I would be okay being there for worship. Many people said, “Why are you here?” or “You shouldn’t be here.” They meant well. But where else would I go in the early days of grief? Yes, church is … Read More
This week John’s gospel gets weird. As one colleague pointed out, Jesus says something that will make the adolescents in and among us giggle. Beyond that, though, is the question of just what exactly is happening here. Surely, Jesus didn’t just say that! Taking a closer look means asking what Jesus really meant when he … Read More
Litany of Confession One: Holy One, you call us to a life of loving-kindness. Yet, very often, we resort to violence with our words or actions forgetting our responsibility to love our neighbors and ourselves. people my quietly or silently voice their confessions Forgive us when we are self-absorbed. All: Offer us, again, the bread … Read More
How many of these names do you recognize? Sandra Bland Rexdale Henry Kindra Chapman Samuel Dubose Joyce Curnell Ralkina Jones Raynette Turner Sarah Lee Circle Bear If you live in the United States you should know these names as well as you know that the lion killed in Zimbabwe by a Minnesotan dentist was named … Read More
Deep within me there is a pot of anger on slow boil. Sometimes it boils up and threatens to overflow. There are a lot of injustices in this pot, some personal and others not. I know that what heats this pot is pain. I’ve accumulated this pain over my lifetime. Again, some of it is … Read More
Rest. Relaxation. Renewal. Restoration. These are enticing words. I often associate them with summer. During the summer season I tend to believe there really is more time and a slower pace to life. And every summer at about this time I realize that it is simply not true. The world does not slow down or … Read More
Come, let us pray for the body of Christ as it gathers throughout the world. (people may silently or quietly voice their prayers) Holy God of all times, places, and peoples, remind us that your way is the path we seek. Let us walk in peacefully and seek unity with all who call your name. … Read More
One: With churches burning and hate mail flying, All: we shy away thinking that has nothing to do with me. One: With bombs dropping on faraway cities, All: we turn off the news and put up our feet up in comfort. One: With ebola still claiming lives in Africa, All: … Read More
Wake up, Sweet Jesus! Wake up! We are perishing. Do you not care? I cry out these words when I hear of senseless, violent death …When a transperson is murdered or takes their own life …When a young man with a gun kills nine who were engaged in Bible study and prayer …When boats filled … Read More