Friday, December 20, 2019 | Reflections
This is Beloved Community: justice, kindness, and mercy for all. Special concern for the most vulnerable and alienated. All our energy devoted to growing one another into the fullness of God, with not a moment wasted on evil. This is an incredible vision, and one most...
Thursday, December 19, 2019 | Reflections
In the Cathedral Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Johannesburg, South Africa, these words to Zerubbabel line the rood screen between the nave and one of the transept chapels. I don’t know how long the words have been painted there, but the cathedral’s construction was...
Wednesday, December 18, 2019 | Reflections
The world is geared to morning people. Ask any of us night owls, and we’ll tell you all about it. I try to do a little centering prayer each morning, holding the day’s concerns in light of a particular line of scripture. But ultimately, most naturally, I take my cue...
Tuesday, December 17, 2019 | Reflections
When we read today’s lesson from Revelation, I hope we understand that the word to the church in Laodicea is actually a word meant for all God’s people: “I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you.” In...
Monday, December 16, 2019 | Reflections
Three years ago I was in Ghana. I stood in shock, staring at the dusty trail trod by hundreds of thousands of stolen Africans. Countless people were force-marched from the interior territories of West Africa to the coast, stepping over the dead for hundreds of miles...
Sunday, December 15, 2019 | Reflections
Why do we long so much to be in touch with the living God? I hope it isn’t because we’re scared or expect some tangible reward for good behavior. Look to the prophets: As much as they rail, as angry and anxious as they feel, they are actively trying to turn people’s...
Saturday, December 14, 2019 | Reflections
Prior to ordination, I worked as a newspaper journalist. I didn’t have much of a faith to speak of, but I was transfixed by the stories of people whose lives depended on faith. It was an honor and a wonder to listen to and convey their stories to a secular,...
Friday, December 13, 2019 | Reflections
There is an old story about a henhouse that burns to the ground. In the ashes, the farmer discovers the charred body of a mother hen. When he lifts her remains, he is surprised to discover the chicks still underneath her, warm but unscathed. This is what a mother hen...
Thursday, December 12, 2019 | Reflections
Do you have the keys? My husband and I always doublecheck that we have keys before we leave the apartment. It’s no fun being locked out of your own home, especially if there’s no one else with keys to let you in. We rent our apartment, so you can imagine how...
Wednesday, December 11, 2019 | Reflections
Does this sound familiar? You’re 110 percent enthusiastic about an idea, research it thoroughly, and start with gusto. Maybe it’s a new workout regimen, a crafting hobby, or a small side business. You dive in, but the energy fizzles. Faith can be like this....
Tuesday, December 10, 2019 | Reflections
Who says you need an education, credentials, and a respectable backstory to speak for God? Certainly the Holy One of Israel never says this. If anything, the story of scripture proves the exact opposite.Amos is not a prophet. He’s not even the son or grandson or...
Monday, December 9, 2019 | Reflections
A friend of mine has the following quote as his email signature: It’ll all be all right in the end. If it’s not all right, it’s not the end. I hear echoes of this when Jesus says he is the Alpha and the Omega. In this declaration, he signifies the beginning and the...
Sunday, December 8, 2019 | Reflections
Isaiah’s prophecy has birthed at least one great joke: “The wolf and the lamb may lie down together, but the lamb won’t get much sleep.” But when the laughter stops, there’s a painful truth. Left to our own devices, following our own instincts, we can predict where...
Saturday, December 7, 2019 | Reflections
Centuries after Amos proclaimed those words, Martin Luther King Jr. used them to fuel the Civil Rights Movement, calling America to repent and pursue God’s dream. Every January, we hear these words in recordings of his “I Have a Dream” speech. Amos, through King,...
Friday, December 6, 2019 | Reflections
I believe God can do whatever God wants to do, including investing humans with extraordinary gifts. A prophetic word is given so that by following what God has asked us to do or not do, we understand what will logically happen if we do or don’t do as God commands....
