Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 There are so many images of the Kingdom of Heaven in this week’s Gospel reading that it’s hard to know where to begin. We are reminded of its similarity to a mustard seed, to the yeast that leavens a family’s bread, to hidden treasure, to fine pearls, and to a net cast into …
Wheat and Weeds and Birthday Calls
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 I am a terrible gardener. It could be that I just don’t care about it enough. Or that I have simply not taken the time to develop the skill. Or maybe I’m just never going to be good at it, because you see I often have a hard time telling the difference between …
The Sower Went Out to Sow
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 I gave blood the other day. As I was laying on the cot with a needle in my arm, I tried to get acquainted with the young woman who was tending me. First I asked how long she had been doing this. “Three years,” she replied. Then I asked where she had …
“We Played the Flute for You…”
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 For a while there, I was an avid reader of the Harry Potter series. It was interesting, complex, adventuresome, AND it gave me a natural ‘in’ with my then young nephews. I can’t remember which book it was when I finally had to put it down. What I do remember is being …
Finishing the Race…
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18 “I have finished the race…” I am not a runner. I can jog a little. I love to walk, but hitting the pavement hard over and over again is something I’ve never done with joy and haven’t even really attempted in more than thirty years. The closest thing I know to …
A Disciple is Not Above the Teacher…
Matthew 10:24-39 “A disciple is not above the teacher…” It came to mind today as I was reading tender Father’s Day tributes on Facebook. It was as I was scrolling through the photographs that one had me standing still in memory. Perhaps it was no coincidence that I had remembered him out loud already once …
To Rest: Created in the Image of God
Genesis 1:1-2:4a “And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the word he had done in creation.” Genesis 2:2-3 …
The Power of the Holy Spirit
Acts 2:1-21 Having a few days off this week, I decided to tackle some big tasks. One of those was digging up the bushes in my back yard which didn’t survive the winter. Now they looked mostly dead, but they weren’t entirely. I expect this made job that much more difficult. First, I trimmed them …
“All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine…”
John 17:1-11 There is a great deal before us in the words of Jesus’ prayer before us now. While there are a number of directions one could go, this section seems to be building t the same point as the following one: the unity of those who follow Jesus. Indeed, it seems to me this …
“I Will Not Leave You Orphaned…”
John 14:15-21 I took my car in to get the oil changed a couple of days ago. Things were a little slow at 8 a.m. on a Friday morning and Alex, the man who checked me in, was full of stories which he was eager to share. It was clear that this one in particular is one he …