There are so many good words in the air today. Good words from the inauguration. Good words from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I hesitate to add many more words to the mix. I’d rather enjoy the words of others today. I’ve shared a brief reflection on King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” over…
Who do people say that I am?, Jesus wants to know. “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and still others one of the prophets.” And the disciples here are obviously just talking about the people who more or less liked Jesus. Nobody wants to say, “Well, Lord, people are calling you a drunkard,…
This morning I finished reading and praying through Jan Richardson’s retreat material for Women’s Christmas. I had my colored pencils and art journal ready as I read, and found myself sketching out this picture to accompany a favorite quote: May you sink the roots of your soul Deeper and deeper still into the love of…
I recently saw an article about artist Brent Christensen and the amazing ice sculptures that he creates. Sparkling walls of ice, up to twenty-five feet tall–the sculptures are beautiful. But it wasn’t the sculptures themselves that most impressed me. It was this little bit of information from the beginning of the article: “The hobby first…
This Sunday we are celebrating the work of our little church and encouraging people to step forward and serve according to their gifts and passions. Here are some of the worship pieces we will be using: –One of my favorite calls to worship from Ann B. Day, which you can find here. –A hymn I…
I spent my first Monday morning Sabbath of the new year reading, praying, writing, and drawing my way through the first part of Jan Richardson’s retreat for Women’s Christmas. I commend the retreat to you–men and women alike. One of the sections of Jan’s retreat led me to my prayer journal and back to one…
My blogging/pastor friend Marci Glass is giving star words for Epiphany. The general idea is that you receive a word to contemplate, a word to help guide your thinking about God and your relationship with God in the coming months. She gave me the word “desiring.” So now I’ve written it on a star.…
Hear is a call to worship based on two of the lectionary readings for this coming Sunday: Isaiah 60:1-6 and Matthew 2:1-12. People of God, arise, shine, for your light has come! The light of Christ has come into the world. Immanuel. God with us. So arise, shine, for your light has come! And we…
I’ve been enjoying some end-of-the-year posts from other bloggers and thought I would do one of my own. So here are a few highlights from Spacious Faith’s second full year! I’ve become a contributor to a few great web sites: Mennonite Weekly Review Huffington Post Christian Century TextWeek Liturgy Link I’ve developed creative worship, retreat,…
(A reflection on Luke 2:22-40; excerpted from this sermon.) So Christmas has come, and there sit Simeon and Anna in the temple—looking to, longing for, waiting for the messiah. It is a long hard waiting, with no Advent calendar to mark the days, no due date given. What, really, is the point of their waiting?…
Spacious Faith 