John 3:1-17 I thought this week I would spend my time elsewhere, but Nicodemus drew me in once more. Oh, I have been wrestling with Nicodemus and his nighttime encounter with Jesus for as long as I can remember. (Go ahead and search John 3:1-17 on this blog and you will get a sampling of …
“And They Lived, And Stood On Their Feet, a Vast Multitude…”
Ezekiel 37:1-14 It is so that in these last days I have meandered between the various readings assigned for the Festival of Pentecost this time around. I pondered the nearness of the Spirit in Romans, (Romans 8:22-27), how One could be so close and know each one of us so well so as to be …
Living as God’s Beloved Image: In the World, But Not of It
John 17:6-19 “…because they do not belong to the world…” What is it to live by a different set of values? To be governed by different hopes and expectations? To be shaped by another dream altogether: by God’s dream instead of the paltry ones we too often settle for? What is it to NOT belong …
But I Chose You…
John 15:9-17 I have been living in these words for days… wondering about what it means that we are chosen first. And while no metaphor fully works for the call that is placed on our hearts, our lives, by Jesus now, I find myself returning to old stories of being ‘chosen.’ Wondering at how they …
“I am the Vine, You are the Branches…”
John 15:1-8 I pulled my dad’s old garden shovel out of the shed yesterday. I needed to spread some new dirt around in my garden beds as I start to think about planting for another season. And I thought to myself about how something as simple as an old shovel whose handle has been worn …
Welcoming Thomas…
John 20:19-31 I will admit that on this Monday, the day after Easter, my thoughts are not completely formed yet as I consider this second appearance of Jesus to the disciples behind those locked doors. So what I offer now are first thoughts only and I hope that if you also find yourself preaching next …
Meeting Jesus in Galilee…
Mark 16:1-8 Many of you will know that for most of the years I have been a pastor, I have started Easter Day in a cemetery. Anymore I rather delight in the shocked looks which sometimes cross the faces of others when they hear this. But the truth is, I have always heard the Easter …
The Easter Mystery
Mark 16: 1-8 I was visiting with a friend a few days ago. She asked how I felt about the week ahead. I replied that Maundy Thursday and Good Friday seemed to be well in hand. However, I had not yet begun to think about what to offer on Easter. And she replied, “Well, Easter …
Whispering Hosanna…
Mark 11:1-11 We will have missed two Palm Sundays all together in one place now. Many of you are ahead of us in terms of coming together in person for worship, I know. If things keep moving forward in the best way, soon we will join you in that. We are not there yet, however, …
On Seeds and Growth and Death and Life and Seeing Jesus: Standing in the Mystery
John 12:20-33 Truth be told, I am just standing still in the mystery this week. Wondering how it is that some see Jesus and others simply can’t yet. And about this tenuous chain of witnesses from Philip to Andrew and finally to Jesus. Wondering how it is that a seed actually works… and why it …