08
Dec 2017
The sunrise is coming- Jesus is here, Hanging from the cross. Sorrowful, joy Painful, gladness. I can not take my gaze away from your face. Love bleeds red Across your cheeks and meets my sandals on the earth. My knees grow weak I fall to you, who took my sins away. “I am” you said, I am you are, Eternal is your Grace. This week that comes you will die again, as painful as that seems. But you will rise and bring great joy. Our hearts open to receive....
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08
Dec 2017
On Palm Sunday, we begin our procession with three blasts from the shofar, a ram’s horn. This ancient instrument has great significance in Judiasm. Click here to read about the call of the Shofar in this article discovered by Jim Schatzman. ...
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08
Dec 2017
John’s Gospel holds the longest account of the evening before Jesus’ death. His actions paint a picture of someone under a lot of stress. As he washes Peter’s feet and Peter demands his head be washed also, you can almost hear Jesus count to 10 before he responds “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feed, but is entirely clean.” Jesus continually alludes to the fact that there is a betrayer in the room: Not all of you are clean. I am not speaking of all of you.......
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08
Dec 2017
Peter and the other disciples have spent many months traveling around with Jesus. They have witnessed miraculous healings, food multiplication that would make a Holy Week coordinator green with envy, even people raised from the dead. And in the previous chapter of John, Jesus appeared to them in his resurrected body. And after all that, Peter says, “I’m going fishing.” And his fellow disciples chime in, “Hey, we’ll go with you!” As readers, our temptation is to respond, “Really? This is your response to Jesus’ resurrection?” And yet, isn’t this what we......
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08
Dec 2017
During Lent, we talked about going home, where the Father was watching and waiting for us, wanting to welcome us back with a celebration, and even begging us to come in. Today, we hear the Shepherd’s voice calling, and he says earlier in the same chapter that we follow him because we know his voice. We know him and, more importantly, he knows us, calls us by name, and gives us life. In the next chapter, Jesus calls Lazarus by name, and Lazarus, though dead four days, comes at his calling. As......
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08
Dec 2017
I love the creeds. You might think they’re boring–so do I, at times–but they are so important to our formation as Christians. When I was in my mid-twenties, I had a crisis of faith. Some people find Christian college strengthens their faith, mine instead was weakened. I learned to question everything, but was never satisfied with the answers provided. Though I still believed God existed and that the Christian faith was the true faith, those beliefs only came through gritted teeth and fingernails digging in to the edge of a cliff. I had......
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08
Dec 2017
Today I sit and watch God’s steady rain fall. Covering every blade of grass and leaf and tree. With grace and love, completely. A steady stream of love falling from the sky. Remarkably peaceful are the tears that He cries. I hear the sound of his voice rolling among the clouds. I think how steady Is his love that has fallen into me throughout my life. Nurturing and feeding my soul like the steady rain outside. There with me in every season were the tears that he cried. Whether in sorrow or......
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08
Dec 2017
Yesterday’s sermon highlighted a contrast I’ve seldom thought about: this is the same Mary & Martha as in the story in Luke 10:38-42. You know, the one where Martha is busy serving and Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet. Jesus has to give Martha a verbal shake because as she serves, she is forgetting the reason for her service–Him! Jesus. The man sitting in the middle of her living room. Not only that, but Martha attempts to interrupt Mary in her teaching posture and move her away from Jesus. She’s judging Mary......
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08
Dec 2017
At Light of Christ, we often use the imagery of light to talk about God’s activity in our lives. On Epiphany, Fr. Eirik shared the image of a lamp stand with a person carrying the light from the lamp stand. Our activities of service to the church, of building community, of personal devotion, and of sharing the good news of Christ can be expressed through this image of light. Lifting Your Light is an online way for us to engage in discipleship and building community. Some may not be able to attend......
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08
Dec 2017
Why do you enter into a conversation? Conversation–What We Care About, With Those We Love For me there are at least two motivations for conversation. First, I may get involved because I am interested in the subject and I want to learn more or contribute my knowledge. Secondly, I may join in conversation because I care about the speakers and I simply want to connect with them. In other words, it’s about content and community. Typically, one or the other motive will me started in a conversation, but it’s almost always a......
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