God is “up there.” Right? Human beings throughout history have looked to the skies for help, for divine providence, for inspiration. We have also viewed the skies as an inexhaustible dumping ground, or a harbinger of God’s wrath. What would it look like to reconcile, or indeed to unify, heaven and earth? This worship service […]
“It’s too peopley out there.” Phrases like this were popular before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, but now they can mean a situation is too crowded for comfort, or that one’s faith in humanity is being shaken. In our readings today, God calls humanity to turn away from “peopley” things like domination and unbridled power and […]
What would happen if we could look at Planet Earth the way that God sees it? A blue marble in the depths of space, it is at once beautiful, fragile, awe-inspiring, and beloved. God sees our planet with great love, creates and celebrates it as good, and calls us to do the same. This worship […]
What’s the point of tradition? Often it signifies who’s IN and who’s OUT. When the Pharisees needle Jesus because some of his followers don’t ritually wash their hands, Jesus explains that what comes out of your heart is the most important thing. Tradition that comes from God should foster relationship…not prevent it. This worship service […]
Jesus’ own disciples are losing confidence in him. This “eat my body and drink my blood” stuff is just too much for them. Jesus knows that you can’t force belief, but at the same time, his followers are not called to eat the bread of life and leave the crusts behind. Jesus came to feed […]
As Jesus talks about being the bread from heaven who brings life to the world, he gets into a sticky situation with the Jewish religious leaders about just how far this metaphor really goes. Eating flesh? Drinking blood? Sounds a little bit…beyond the pale, for them and for us. How do we receive what Jesus […]
What do you eat when you’re far from home? What do you need when you’re out of your comfort zone, when you’re at your wits’ end, when you find yourself beyond hope? Jesus does more than provide for our daily needs, he is there in our time of great need, nourishing us with food for […]
After feeding five thousand people, Jesus finds himself trying to explain this sign to the crowd, who just wants more bread. They wonder if he is like Moses, missing the fact that he is God, in their midst. People never do seem to understand Jesus! The kind of “bread” he brings is lasting closeness and […]
The story of Jesus feeding five thousand people with five loaves and two fish is always a favorite. But Jesus is just as intentional about instructing the disciples to gather up all the pieces that are left. He gathers up our own broken pieces, too, and carefully stitches them back together, so that not one […]
Like sheep without a shepherd, we wander in our own groups, suspicious of the other groups and not quite sure where we belong. Such is our world, then and now. Jesus steps forward to be our shepherd, and calls us (the church) to be part of one new household where everyone can belong. Together we […]