Life is tough. No two ways about it. And it seems to be getting tougher. Change sweeps through and leaves a mess in its wake. Every day brings a new calamity. And yet…Jesus does not give up on us. When everything seems to be falling apart, that is the exact moment he comes to make […]
We all have days where we just want to climb into a tree and hide from the world. Zacchaeus climbed a tree when Jesus came to town, partly because he was short and couldn’t see, but he had plenty of other reasons to try and hide. Jesus sees him, really sees him, and says: Come […]
Who gets to be a saint? In holy baptism God makes saints out of sinners, and in holy communion God forgives sin and knits us together with all the saints into one great communion. In worship today we give thanks for all the saints “who from their labors rest,” and celebrate the promised reality of […]
Rooted in the past and growing into the future, the church must always be reformed in order to live out the love of Christ in an ever-changing world. We celebrate the good news of God’s grace, that Jesus Christ sets us free every day to do this life-transforming work. Trusting in the freedom given to […]
What’s the point of it all? Some days we are tempted to just give up and quit trying. Today Jesus tells a parable about a corrupt judge and a persistent widow, and we hear an old story of Jacob the patriarch wrestling with God. They remind us that giving up is not an option. Even […]
How do we live with our enemies? This question is all over in our world, and the same was true in Jesus’ day. The gospel writer Luke tells a story about Jesus and ten sick people who ask him for mercy. How can mercy be a bridge between enemies? Who gets healed, who gets to […]
It has been said, “money is the root of all evil.” Today we might say “people over profit.” While money can do good and important things, it has a lot of corrosive power to harm human relationship. Today Jesus tells a story about how money can distort our ability to see others as real people, […]
Animals have a wisdom all their own, given to them by God, and they have much to teach us, if only we are patient and humble enough to pay attention. Today we wrap up the Season of Creation by celebrating Animal Sunday. Animals, especially wild animals, remind us that we are not the center of […]
Look up at the stars on a clear night and you will see a new reality. There is so much more than what we see here. When we feel torn apart, spinning out of control, the divine mind revealed in the universe reminds us that we are still right where we should be. Christ is […]
There is no shortage of storms in our world today, whether in weather, politics, or the state of the human heart. Storms originally had a purpose to play in creation, but today they have grown unbalanced in intensity and power. Jesus doesn’t prevent storms. Nor does he stand apart from them. But he is with […]