Category: Reflection
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Spiritual but not religious?
Biblical Text: James 1v19-27 Not too long ago, it wasn’t uncommon to hear the phrase, “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” If you asked someone what they thought about church, that was often the answer you got. There were plenty of reasons for this answer. Sometimes people would say it because they had lost faith in…
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a parable
Biblical Text: Mark 4:1-20 Today, the lectionary gives us the parable of the sower. Parables were a common teaching method for Jesus, but this one is unique. Here, we get an explanation. There is no guessing at what this parable may, or may not, mean. Jesus spells it out. Let’s take a brief look. Jesus…
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in the beginning
Biblical Text: John 1:1-14 (The video recording of our Christmas service is here. The sermon begins at 23:50.) Merry Christmas! It’s finally here. After 4 weeks of Advent the wait is over. I was here for the midnight service last night, and I always love that moment when you finally get to sing the last…
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all the feelings
I don’t know where you stand politically, but I know for myself there are a whole mixture of emotions today. Anxiety, frustration, maybe a little foreboding. Having relatives and friends in the U.S., it’s hard to watch what is going on there and not be concerned. And what happens in the U.S. often has effects…
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a Christian hope
When we use the word “hope” today, most of the time we’re wishing something will or won’t happen. I hope I didn’t leave the oven on, I hope I feel better tomorrow, I hope it doesn’t rain this weekend. Or perhaps more seriously, I hope my kids are healthy, I hope I get that job,…
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a foundational prayer
Biblical Texts: Psalm 117, Luke 11v1-4 Today’s passage in Luke is so familiar it can easily go by unnoticed. For those of us in church regularly, we say this prayer so often it can become automatic. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s good to know things by heart, but sometimes it pays to slow…
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wonderful news now
Luke 6:20-26; Matthew 5:1-12 Blessed are the poor! Blessed are those who mourn! Blessed are you when people slander you! Blessed, blessed, blessed! We hear this passage, and it’s twin in Matthew, all the time. But it’s not an easy one. We don’t use the word blessed very often, which doesn’t help, but when some…
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solitude for service
Reading: Luke 4v38-44 As with most readings in the churches lectionary, our gospel reading today is not meant to be read simply as one brief story. It’s from Luke’s gospel, and where Luke places it is important. It needs to be read in context. Chapter 4 of Luke begins with Jesus’s temptation in the wilderness,…
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dog’s dinner
Biblical Text: Matthew 15:21-28 If I had a list of passages, that on face value, you could leave out of scripture, then this would be on it. A woman in distress comes to beg Jesus for her daughter’s healing. His response is not just discouraging, it sounds offensive. This does not seem like the Jesus…
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impulsive discipline
Biblical Texts: Matthew 13:44-46, 2 Timothy 1:6. The church today (July 31, 2024) commemorates the life of St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuit order. Ignatius was born to a wealthy family, and was grievously injured while fighting a war. During his time of recovery, he asked for a book to read. The only book available…