We give thanks for the light of hope—unrelenting and inexplicable. Our hope in Christ shines on. We give thanks for the light of peace—strong and unafraid. The peace of Christ lights our way. We give thanks for the light of joy—persistent and unpredictable. The joy of Christ brightens our lives. We give thanks for the…
Just for fun, I thought I’d share a slightly edited version of a piece I wrote several years ago. (How long ago? You ask. Well, the baby who is mentioned started middle school this year.) I am grateful to now have older children and slightly less chaotic holiday preparations. ‘Twas the week before Christmas, and…
One of the downsides of a theological education (and/or an overactive theological imagination) is an inability to sing some favorite old hymns with naive gusto. During this Christmas season in particular, we simply know too much about the biblical story (and the reality of childbirth and babies in general) to fully believe all of the…
In these darkening days, we come seeking peace. We seek serenity within ourselves. We seek harmony within our families. We seek goodwill among our neighbors. We seek a ceasefire among all nations. We seek not just the absence of conflict, But the presence of shalom– the abiding peace the healing life the unrelenting justice that…
The words below are taken from the sermon I preached last Sunday. There is more to say. There are better things to say. But these are the words I have right now. The Bible does not specifically address issue of gun control, but there is a lot in scripture that speaks to various aspects of…
O come, O come, Emmanuel– God with us. Come into our brokenness; Come into our joy. come into our captivity; Come into our freedom. Come into our fear; Come into our compassion. Our souls have had their fill. Have mercy upon us, O God, And come, O come, Emmanuel.
We come to prepare the way: The way for Christ. We come to hear the good news: the hope of Christ. We come longing for divine hope to enter our hearts, to enter our world. We come to cry out together in the wilderness: “Oh, kingdom of heaven come near.” We come to be part…
The post below is excerpted from a longer sermon on 2 Kings 7. I know our primary reading is about Elisha, but first I want to share these words from 1 Peter. I want you to not only hear them, but to know them and to hold them and to carry them with you back…
Sunday morning at the beginning of worship, I lit our peace lamp and then I lit four white candles: for Paris, Beirut, Aleppo, and Baghdad. I almost skipped the candle-lighting altogether because I couldn’t figure out how many candles to light. Beirut and Paris, of course. Those were horrific terrorist attacks among people who don’t…
The following reflection is excerpted from my sermon on 2 Kings 4:8-37. In today’s scripture reading, Elisha is referred to as a “man of God” eight times—that’s twice as often as he is referred to by name. I will admit that I’m not quite as convinced as the Shunammite woman that Elisha is…
Spacious Faith 