The last time I saw my 19-year-old son*, he grumbled at me in the middle of the public library: “Just stop yelling at me all the time. I’m sick of it. I’m finally living my life how I want and you can’t control me!” For the record, I wasn’t yelling at him. I had told…
Many of you know that I have an Advent devotional, Expecting Emmanuel, coming out in September. It has felt rather awkward to be working on it during Lent, but as we approach Mother’s Day, the exploration of the women in Jesus’ genealogy and early life seems quite fitting. This weekend, I will be sending out…
Originally posted on Spacious Faith:
Crucifix at Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson, Arizona. Some were there when Jesus, bloody and bruised, climbed the hill to the Place of the Skull. The women, wailing along with the infants in their arms; Simon of Cyrene, forced to carry the cross beam that Jesus could no longer bear;…
Here is the man! Jesus, accused of being a criminal. Jesus, who threatens the religious establishment.Here is your King!The ruler of a Kingdom that is not from this world.The ruler who threatens the power of empire.Here is the man!Who witnesses to the truth.Who gives no answer.Here is your King!Jesus, son of Mary.Jesus, son of God.Jesus,…
My upcoming book, Expecting Emmanuel, is now available for pre-order! (You can order it from the publisher, MennoMedia, here, and from Amazon here.) To receive occasional emails about the status of the book, where/when I may be speaking about the book, a potential virtual Advent small group, and other opportunities, please sign up for the…
Opening Prayer Holy One,We gather in the darkness of this nightTo remember the sacred story:The baby that has been born,The child that has been given.We offer our deep gratitude.We look ahead with anticipation.We place our world, our communities, our loved ones, and ourselvesIn your tender care.For the desperate, we pray hope.For the fearful, we pray…
Holy One, God of the valley, God of the wind, God who breathes life into the dry and the dead: Somehow we are part of your audacious and unsettling work of resurrection. We do not understand it. We barely believe it. And yet we hear the rattling. We see the sinews and flesh and skin.…
Originally posted on Spacious Faith:
The four offertory prayers below are written for the four Sundays of Advent to coordinate with the Advent candle themes. ? Holy One, this Advent season we wait in hope. And we give in hope. Hope for your coming reign; Hope because of your presence with us even now. Receive…
I haven’t posted much since we started this year’s Narrative Lectionary cycle several weeks ago. So below is a call to worship I wrote for this week, and links to several sermons. Call to Worship for 1 Kings 5:1-5, 8:1-13 (with John 4: 21-24) We are not on the mountain or in Jerusalem. We are…
In preparing to preach on 1 Samuel 16:1-13 this week, I am stopped in my tracks by a line in verse 1: “Fill your horn with oil and set out.” It is such a simple command, yet so demanding, and with so much promise. I’m wondering what it would mean for me to fill my…
This past Sunday I began a 4-week sermon series on Revelation (using the scriptures suggested by Working Preacher). Surprisingly, what I’m discovering as I study for this series is that I LOVE Revelation! The English nerd in me loves the genre of apocalyptic literature: the stunning images, the other-worldly quality, the connections to previous sacred…
Call to Worship (based on Psalm 33, New Jerusalem translation) Sing to God a new song! The faithful love of God fills the earth. By the word of God the heavens were made. By the breath of God’s mouth, the stars formed.The faithful love of God fills the earth. God collects the waters of the…
At Peace Mennonite, we have been using the Narrative Lectionary this past year, which means we have the summer “off” to figure out our own worship themes. We’re kicking of the summer with “Extending the Table,” a 5-week series looking at meals in the Bible–and thinking about how we, as a church, can be more…
*Trigger warning: For those of you who have experienced traumatic church processes in the past, this will all sound very familiar and will make you want to scream, cry, cuss and/or run as far away from the church as you can get. You are welcome to keep reading, but there is nothing new or surprising…
*This reflection is taken from the Peace Mennonite 2021 Lenten Devotional When we are kids, we color pictures of a guy sitting up in the branches of a tree. But when we get older, we know that the really important part of the story comes at the end. When this very wealthy tax collector declares…
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