This Sunday we are observing All Saints’ Day. This call to worship is inspired by the lectionary reading for the day from Isaiah 25:6-9. (Leader reads plain text, people read bold.) Hurricanes and floods and environmental havoc; drones and IEDs and handguns; cancer and heart disease and bodies shutting down; poverty and injustice and oppression.…
Our disciple for the week is Mary Magdalene! I’m not preaching, but I did write a call to worship, based on Hosea 11:3-4: Holy One, Teach us to walk on your path. Gather us in your arms. Heal our bodies and heal our spirits. Lead us with cords of kindness and encircle us with bands…
I spent some of my Sabbath time this weekend making cards. Not quick and simple cards–those are the ones I make out of necessity–when I need a card ASAP. These are Sabbath cards–made for people I love without regard for how long it takes to make each one. These luxurious expanses of creative time are…
One of the beautiful aspects of our congregation is that people besides me preach on a fairly regular basis. This coming Sunday the intelligent and thoughtful Joe Casad will continue our worship series on Jesus’ disciples by focusing on the crowd. Have you ever noticed how much “the crowd” shows up as a character in…
This week my had has been full of sinus drainage, leaving little room for deep, blog-worthy thoughts. Plus, during those precious moments I have been able to escape the demands of work and family . . . I have been sleeping instead of writing. But hey, there have been weeks–thankfully many of them–when I did…
This prayer of confession and assurance of pardon is adapted from the Message version of Ephesians 2:1-10. Holy God, there is always a temptation to be mired in that old stagnant life of sin. We let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell us how to live. We fill our lungs…
It has turned chilly here in Kansas, which means it is time for me to make a batch of chai tea mix. The mix has proven popular among friends and family, so I thought I would share the recipe with you all: 3 oz jar or instant tea 15 oz jar of vanilla creamer 15…
This Sunday I will be preaching on Martha, the busy hostess and astute theologian. But I know many of you are working on World Communion services, so here are some links to previous posts: Artwork and Call to Worship A Great Thanksgiving Liturgy A sermon on Ephesians 2:11-22 Other communion calls to worship are here…
I thought that the night of the first presidential debate might be a good time to share this prayer activity with you all. It’s from the Fruit of the Spirit retreat materials–from Wednesday of Peace week. It was a good prayer practice for me this morning. (Maybe every day until I no longer have teenagers…
In all of the news coverage of the anti-Muslim video and the world-wide reaction to it, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about offense–both giving it and taking it. I’ve wondered where exactly the lines of blame should be drawn. Do we have a right to offend each other? With a lot of contemporary moral…
Spacious Faith 