Saturday, February 9, 2019 | Reflections
Bear one another’s burdens. All carry their own loads. Which one is it? Every person for himself or herself, or we’re all in this together? What does Paul have in mind? Maybe Paul is saying, “Your burdens are my burdens.” In a very real sense, if I truly want to...
Friday, February 8, 2019 | Reflections
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”I think I get the point of the saying: try not to let words hurt your feelings. Be strong. That is helpful advice, but it isn’t very honest. In my experience, words hurt far worse than sticks and...
Thursday, February 7, 2019 | Reflections
When we think of freedom, we often picture a complete lack of restriction on our actions. We can do what we want, when we want to do it. In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he talks about a different kind of freedom. In the first verse of this chapter of Galatians,...
Wednesday, February 6, 2019 | Reflections
Mountains play a significant role in the story of God. Noah’s ark comes to rest on Mount Ararat, and Moses hears from God on Mount Sinai. Jesus delivers his most famous sermon on an unnamed mountain. There are good reasons for describing significant religious moments...
Tuesday, February 5, 2019 | Reflections
“No, Dada! I do it!” Part of growing up is learning to be independent. In the case of my children, they sometimes want to do things on their own before they are actually ready. When we read or listen to scripture, we are frequently confron….(View this reading...
Monday, February 4, 2019 | Reflections
Paul greets each of his audiences throughout his New Testament epistles with the salutation of “grace and peace,” combining typical greetings of two cultures that comprise the early church. Grace (charis) is Paul’s play on the formal Greek greeting of chairein, while...
Sunday, February 3, 2019 | Reflections
In one of my daughter’s favorite books, the lead character usually ends up in trouble shortly after confidently proclaiming to the world how much she knows. “I KNOW how to do laundry, mom!” says Olivia the pig, moments before mixing her father’s white shirts with her...
Saturday, February 2, 2019 | Reflections
Few ethnic divisions have been more palpable than between first-century Jews and Gentiles. In many ways, this division represents the ultimate “us vs. them” mentality. The early church faced this controversy head-on, as we see in letters like Ephesians and Galatians,...
Friday, February 1, 2019 | Reflections
The words of Psalm 51 are the words of a person who realizes the wrong he or she has committed and desires to change but believes that change can only happen with God’s help. These are also the words spoken by God’s people every Ash Wednesday when we are confronted...
Thursday, January 31, 2019 | Reflections
Ministry is hard work. Most pastors and many lay church employees reserve one day a week as their day of rest. We call, text, or email anyway: Sorry to bother you on your day off…In today’s gospel reading, the apostles gather around Jesus, full of stories to share and...
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 | Reflections
I joined the Episcopal Church in 1978. Two years before, General Convention narrowly approved the ordination of women. The newly revised Book of Common Prayer was still in its trial period. I did not understand what all the fuss was about…..(View this reading...
Tuesday, January 29, 2019 | Reflections
Partway through his ministry, Jesus sends his disciples out on their own—in pairs—to spread the good news. How surprised they must be when Jesus hands authority over to them—shepherds and middle managers and fishermen without formal education or credentials. Instead...
Monday, January 28, 2019 | Reflections
Don’t let the bleak winter blues demotivate you. This is the season of Epiphany! God’s love is here for all of us. Look at Jesus with the eyes of your heart and proclaim, “I believe! Alleluia!”The post-Christmas sales are long gone, and….(View this reading and...
Sunday, January 27, 2019 | Reflections
Faith communities, from home Bible studies to cathedrals, are made up of uniquely gifted individuals. Beyond celebrating each person’s gifts, here’s a good question to ask: Since God has intentionally assembled us and our diverse gifts together in this place, what...
Saturday, January 26, 2019 | Reflections
This demon-possessed man comes out from the tombs to confront Jesus. Jesus heals him and clothes him. A crowd starts to gather, and soon folks are freaking out over the healing and subsequent mass pig-suicide.They plead with Jesus to leave thei….(View this...
