This is the day the Lord has made! Christ is risen, and through him all creation is made new! Even when our world is shaken…Christ is the one to whom we can hold fast! Today we sing hymns of praise, gather around sacred words, and proclaim God’s faithfulness, power, and love in the feast of […]
Today, our worship service follows a different path than usual. Today we encounter the paradox that defines our faith: Jesus Christ is glorified king and humiliated servant. We too are full of paradox: like Peter, we fervently desire to follow Christ, but find ourselves afraid, denying God. We wave palms in celebration today as Christ […]
Where do you go and what do you do when you are deep in sadness and grief? Like Jesus, we show up for our friends and family and we love them. And when we don’t even have the strength do that, we listen for Jesus to call us forth from the tomb. In today’s readings, […]
Who are you, really? Underneath all the things others think about you…who is the real you? Jesus meets a woman at a well, a woman whose real identity has been covered by layers of unfair assumptions and labels and judgments throughout the centuries. But he knows the real her, and loves her, and accepts her, […]
The winds of change are blowing in our readings today, as God tells Abram and Sarai to pick up everything and go to a new land, and Jesus and Nicodemus have a deep conversation about faith and spiritual rebirth. Questions can be tools for opening the door to deeper love, trust and understanding…even (and especially) […]
Who do you think you are? The answer to that question says a lot about why you do what you do. In today’s readings, we hear about Adam and Eve as well as Jesus facing questions of identity. Will you construct a new identity for yourself based on your fears and frailties? Or will we […]
“The Truth must dazzle gradually, / Or every man be blind.” We like to think we can handle the truth, but these words from Emily Dickinson set us straight. In today’s gospel, Jesus is revealed as God’s beloved Son, echoing the words at his baptism. This truth is revealed in dazzling glory and the loud, […]
Jesus has some tough words for us today about what God calls us to do. If we try to follow God’s ways, it will be impossible for us to fit into the world. But this is what it means to be salt and light in the world. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we […]
Salt and light. That’s what Jesus says: “You are the salt of the earth…you are the light of the world.” Notice he does not give a list of things to do in order to be salt and light. If you are a follower of Jesus, a citizen of God’s reign, then you already are these […]
Cause and effect helps us understand a lot about the world, but even cause and effect breaks down sometimes. Bad things happen to good people and vice versa. But bad things are not a sign of God’s punishment, or even the lack of God’s presence. In this introduction to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus […]