The Christmas story is full of signs pointing every which way. Signs pointing away from the emperor, the governor, the king, the powers that be in Rome and Jerusalem, and pointing toward a manger in Bethlehem. The angel tells the shepherds to look for a relatively ordinary baby as their sign, but God loves to […]
Comfort, O comfort my people, sings Isaiah to the Jewish people in exile in Babylon, wondering if they will ever see home again. Prepare the way of the Lord, cries John the Baptist in the wilderness, promising a fresh start for those who are tired of the status quo. Their voices, separated by centuries, join […]
Welcome to the end of the world as we know it—and the beginning of something new. Our readings sound the alarm but also end with a word of hope: God will not forget humankind. The barrier between heaven and earth will be torn open. Christ will come again to make God’s dream of justice and […]
Calling Jesus a king is ironic. His power exceeds any earthly king’s, but it’s not about being placed over others, to make them do as he wishes. His power is expressed through love, through compassion, through being with those at the bottom of the pyramid, not the top. In today’s readings, we hear that Jesus […]
Weddings are full of excitement, as well as expectations (spoken and unspoken) and stress. Today Jesus tells a parable about ten bridesmaids with an important wedding task that consumes all their focus. They forget that their joyful presence is the most important way to welcome others to the wedding feast. We also worry about what […]
Our saints are not only our loved ones who have gone on ahead of us (as important as they may be). Saints are those who taught us what it means to have hope in Christ. They persisted in dreaming the impossible dream of a world filled with God’s peace and reconciliation and healing. They showed […]
Today we remember and celebrate the good news that time and time again, God is a god of love and mercy and forgiveness for a wayward people. Every age needs a messenger to remind us of this truth. Jeremiah reminded the Jews of his time. Luther reminded sixteenth-century Europe. We need to be reminded too. […]
This or that. Black or white. Us or them. The world is full of false dichotomies and people who want to force us to choose between them. Jesus rejects that framework and the dehumanization that it brings about. We may have to live in an imperfect and broken world, but we do not belong there, […]
In much of life we are spectators, but in worship we are called to be full participants at whatever level we are able. Today we share something different: “Try It” Sunday, when we take time in the midst of worship to learn about worship, and how the different roles people fulfill each contribute something unique […]
Dress codes are complicated. On one hand, we teach our children not to judge a book by its cover and we try to avoid shaming people for their clothing choices. By the same token, we can’t escape the fact that our clothes say something to other people. We still “dress for success” and worry about […]