Acts 2:1-21 There are so many images in this week’s Pentecost account that I find my imagination running in a couple of different directions. One is to dwell in the power and wonder of the Holy Spirit as portrayed for us in wind and flame. The other is to ponder the miracle of differences overcome …
Category: Lectionary
Oneness
John 17:6-19 “Holy Father, protect them in your name so that they may be one as we are one.” (John 17:11) The unity Jesus speaks of here is all too rare it seems to me. I’m tempted to say that’s a rather recent phenomenon, but I know better. Whether it’s in the church or in …
Of Supermoons and Loving One Another
John 15:9-17 As I write, I’m told we had a ‘supermoon’ this week-end. My understanding is that a ‘supermoon’ occurs when in its full moon stage, the moon passes as close to the earth as it possibly can, making it appear to be significantly larger than it usually does. It’s always the same size of …
The Vine and Core Strength
John 15:1-8 A few days ago in my exercise class we were asked to do mountain climbers at the same time we did planks while bracing our forearms on the stability ball. I expect even if you have no idea of what I’m talking about you can guess it wasn’t easy. For you see, my ‘core strength’, …
Of Sheep and Shepherds
Psalm 23 John 10:11-18 I don’t know much of sheep and shepherds, it’s true. A long time ago when I preached on a Good Shepherd Sunday, I confessed this truth. As he shook his hands with me after worship that morning, John Spangler offered to educate me. John was a hard man of few words and to …
You Are Witnesses…
Luke 24:36-49 It’s just a couple of times that I have been called as a witness. Both times were in family court. Once was on a Christmas Eve long ago when I was asked to stand before a judge and describe the erratic behavior of the woman whose future was in question. Thankfully he stopped …
Scars and Stories, Doubt and Faith
John 20:19-31 I can still remember the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach when the trailer lurched forward and caught my dad’s hand between it and the hitch on the back of the family station wagon. I was twelve, maybe thirteen years old. That would have made my sisters eleven, ten and nine. …
The Gift of Good Friday: It All Belongs to God
Isaiah 52:13-53:12 On Wednesday morning I got called away as it appeared to those closest to him that Cliff would not make it through the day. Cliff is my brother-in-law’s dad. He is 92 years old. He has been widowed for many years and in these last years has depended on the attentive care of …
A Gap in the Story: Easter Thoughts
Mark 16:1-8 There’s a gap in the story. And for now, at least, I’m not speaking of the one that comes at the end of this resurrection account but one that’s there in the story right before the narrative of our Gospel Story. One where the details are entirely left out — perhaps because those first listeners to this …
On Meals and Memories: Some Thoughts for Maundy Thursday
I Corinthians 11:23-26 “I don’t really want a Shamrock Shake. I just want the feeling I had: 7 years old and my mom bought me one after the parade.” My cousin Greg posted this on Facebook a few weeks back. His status update touched me so that first I found myself laughing and then tearing up …