“I said to my soul, be still, and let the dark come upon you Which shall be the darkness of God. As, in a theatre, The lights are extinguished, for the scene to be changed With a hollow rumble of wings, with a movement of darkness on darkness.” ~T.S. Eliot The primary images of…
What can I say? Wednesday was Ash Wednesday. So the Wednesday Worship Pieces got moved to Friday. And that’s how life goes sometimes. Both of these pieces will work well with general Lenten themes, I think. So they wouldn’t necessarily have to be used this first week of Lent. First, an offertory prayer: God of…
I am involved with a new blog project called Practicing Families. One or two Mondays each month, you’ll find my weekly prayer practice in the form of a family liturgy over on that blog. And never fear, I will always link you over. For my personal prayer practice this morning, I did a visual lectio…
This call to worship is based on Isaiah 61:1-3. This is our Old Testament reading this coming Sunday paired with our final beatitude of the series: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Oh yeah, it’s communion Sunday for us too.) You who are poor, why have you come? To hear good…
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” When I hear this Beatitude, my focus immediately goes to the word “pure.” I think about things like sexual purity, using “clean” language, being honest in business dealings. “Blessed are the pure.” Purity is something of a novelty in our culture. I have a…
Today, February 4, is the birthday of Rosa Parks. I used to have a very romantic idea that she was just a poor, tired woman whose weary legs led to a major civil rights victory. But that version of the story does not give Parks enough credit. The truth is that Parks knew exactly what…
O.K. Maybe this is a bit of a stretch for a “prayer practice.” But this morning, during my sabbath time, I made some Valentine cards. Just me in my quiet house with my art supplies. Yes. It was as wonderful as it sounds. I pray you will find time this week to do something that…
Here is a simple blessing based on this week’s Gospel reading: May the Spirit be upon you as you proclaim good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed. Go with power and go in peace. Earlier today I read over a sermon I wrote based…
Rather than post a particular prayer practice this week, I want to highlight some resources that you might find helpful as you think about the upcoming Lenten season. Here are some available through this very blog: Wilderness Choices: The Way of Jesus in a World of Worry; this is an actual, in-person, retreat at the…
I realize some people count shopping days until Christmas, but we pastors are more likely to count preparation days until Lent. (That would be 20!) So as we look ahead, I offer some links to resources from years past. But first, an invitation! You are invited to join me and others from Peace Mennonite for…
Spacious Faith 