Matthew 21:1-11 I found myself scrolling through old pictures until I found this one, this image of a Palm Sunday a few seasons back. Before I got to the image I was looking for though, I flipped past hundreds of others — photographs of children leaning in close to bless a newborn child or an …
Month: March 2020
Brevig Mission, Alaska and the 1918 Flu: Can These Bones Live?
Ezekiel 37:1-14 Can these bones live? For as long as I have been a pastor, I have preached in stories. The challenge in these last weeks, though, has been that I have no stories, no actual experience of a time such as this. I expect you don’t either. As a result, I have found myself …
Exodus, the Corona Virus, and the God of Life: Old Stories for a New Time
Exodus 1 For as long as I have been a pastor, I have been a “lectionary” preacher. For the most part that has seemed to be a faithful and effective way of guiding and grounding our shared worship. Even in an ever changing world, somehow there has always been something in the assigned texts which …
Living as Children of Light in Unprecedented Times
Ephesians 5:8-14 In these last days it has occurred to me that you and I are living in unprecedented times. At least this is so in my memory in this part of the world. I know without a doubt that the sort of uncertainty, anxiety, and yes, fear that has been expressed in my community …
Bridging What Divides…
John 4: 5-42 I have been living in the light of this week’s remarkable story of Jesus and the woman of Samaria and this is how it has come alive for me. Indeed, it is such a rich story before us now that you and I can quickly find any number of entry points. I, …
The End of the Road, the Start of the Journey: Abram and Sarai
Genesis 12:1-4a ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing…’ It seems you cannot get the full import of …