Our sense of smell cuts right through our reason and logic and goes straight to our center of emotional memory. Our gospel today is filled with powerful scents and emotions that speak prophetically about what is to come. Jesus will be poured out for the world as Mary pours out her precious perfume. The scent […]
Prodigal or prudent? Wise or wasteful? Which one are you? The story of the Prodigal Son is one that many know and love, but the characters can get on our nerves because it all hits a little too close to home. In the end, Jesus says, it is more important to be in relationship than […]
What do you do when something truly terrible happens? Have you ever wondered if God is punishing us (or you, or them)? The sad reality of tragedy and injustice makes us painfully aware that our lives are limited. It is natural to wonder why, but maybe we could use the time we do have to […]
Jesus uses the image of fox and hen to convey the reality of God’s love in a world of danger. Often we doubt and resist God’s desire to protect and save us. God comes not as an aggressive presence with talons and fangs, but rather as a humble mother hen, gathering us all under her […]
Lent always begins with the story of Jesus being tested in the wilderness by the devil. Why would he need to be tested? Sometimes being tested reveals what we really know and who we really are. Not just the brokenness, but the beauty as well. We discover the enduring, quiet, powerful presence of God in […]
Transfiguration is a bit of an odd story. Jesus goes up on a mountain, talks to dead guys, his face glows brightly, God speaks from within a cloud, and the disciples are terrified. Wouldn’t you be? But Transfiguration shows us that even when things are confusing and crazy things are happening, Jesus isn’t going anywhere. […]
Jesus blesses the crowd that comes to him for healing, but then follows it with a list of woes and warnings. It seems harsh, but perhaps this is the medicine our world needs to heal from its addiction to power, wealth and status. The risen Christ stands among us in the mystery of the holy […]
Go big or go home…we hear it all the time. But Jesus calls us to follow him from a very ordinary place in our ordinary lives. It seems impossible, but the very things that might disqualify us actually become our greatest assets in his hands. We don’t need to be perfect; we just need to […]
The glory of God is often revealed when and where it is least expected. God uses our lips to declare that glory, inexperienced and hesitant though they may be. God uses our love to demonstrate that glory and so urges us to exercise it. God uses Jesus of Nazareth, water and the word, bread and […]
Turning water into wine is Jesus’ first public miracle, but it shows us hints of what is to come. Wine’s flavor profile includes sweetness, acidity, bitterness and many more descriptors. In Christ, life is more than the saltiness of tears. It is transformed into a deeper, fuller celebration of all that we experience. And Jesus, […]