Candle-Lighting Liturgy (Isaiah 9:2-7; Hosea 11:1, 3-4) We come to proclaim the light of hope. Hope in the promises of God; hope in the power of the Holy Spirit; hope in the person of Jesus Christ. Hope for each of us and hope for all of us. The people who walked in darkness have seen…
Call to Worship In our poverty, we await the son of Mary, Who brings good news. In our brokenheartedness, we await the Incarnate One, Who heals our hearts. In our captivity, we await the Redeemer, Who proclaims freedom. In our mourning, we await the Wonderful Counselor, Who offers comfort. In the midst of this world’s…
Have you ever had this experience: You decide to watch a movie, and you’re in the mood for something light, something happy. So you choose your DVD at the library or video store or redbox, you make a big bowl of popcorn, and you settle in. You are ready for something fun, something comforting, something…
Here is a call to worship for this upcoming first week of Advent, based on Psalm 80, Isaiah 64, and my own desperate need for Advent this year. (Even if the pastor part of me is not ready for Advent yet.) – – – – We are broken by racism and militarism. Restore us, O…
Believe it or not, Advent begins in less than a month. I’ve been thinking about how I want to live into the holy season this year. I looked around for online retreats; while I found some that look lovely, none of them seemed quite right. So I thought, “I’ll write my own on-line devotions and…
*This post is taken from the sermon I preached on December 22, 2013. You can read the full sermon text here. Luke 2:8-20 One thing to note about this biblical story is that it is set at night; in the dark and quiet. And I don’t mean Lawrence nighttime dark and quiet with streetlights and…
Just a brief prayer today as I prepare for our Christmas hymn-sing on December 29: Creator God, Word-Made-Flesh, Thank you for the songs of this holy season. Thank you for the amazing story of which we sing. Thank you for the song of the Spirit that surrounds and sustains us. May our voices and our…
And for this week: Scripture Readings: Isaiah 63:7-9 and Luke 2:8-20 Call to Worship: Glory to God in the highest! And hope to every discouraged heart. Glory to God in the highest! And peace to every conflicted soul. Glory to God in the highest! And joy to every downcast spirit. Glory to God in the…
This past Sunday we focused on the song of Mary and practiced group lectio divina together. (The children had been invited to draw a picture as a way to reflect on the scripture readings. I nearly lost it when one boy handed me his drawing to share with the congregation. It pictured the annunciation with…
As I read through Hannah’s song in 1 Samuel 2:1-10 this week, I couldn’t help but notice that parallelism is everywhere: “My heart exults in the Lord; / my strength is exalted in my God.” “Talk no more so very proudly, / let not arrogance come from your mouth;” “The bows of the mighty are…
Spacious Faith 