In the meantime
23rd Sunday After Pentecost Today's Readings: 1 Thes. 4:13-18 ; Matthew 25:1-13 Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. In these days of great stress and anticipation I’ve been spending a lot of time with the smoothing chants of the Taize monks from France. The chant that I heard repeated in my head as I meditated on these scripture passages this week was this: “Wait for the Lord, who’s day is near. Wait for the Lord; be strong, take h
Remembering All Saints
All Saints Day 2020 Readings: Rev. 7:9-12 ; Matthew 5:1-12 Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. Blessed are those who are poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn. On All Saints Day, we have the ability to not only honor and give thanks for all the saints who have come before us and live among us, but we also have the chance to mourn. Sometimes in this life, due to “societal norms,” we may find it hard to make space for grief. It
The Greatest Commandment
Reformation Sunday Today's Readings: Lev. 19:1-2, 15-18 ; Matthew 22:34-46 Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Happy Reformation Sunday! We are a Church reformed and always reforming! As you can see very clearly in 2020, change is constant and we are always finding new ways to be the Church. But while the way the Church works and looks in the world is always changing, the foundation of the Church remains the same. In
Christian and Citizen
20th Sunday After Pentecost Today's Reading: Matthew 22:15-22 Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. God certainly has a way with timing and a sense of humor that a TAX question would appear in the three year SET lectionary just 16 days away from a huge election in our country. It is not a far stretch to put the Pharisees and the Herodians in our shoes today, asking the Lord face-to-face, “is it lawful to pay taxes to the
Rejoice in the Body of Christ
19th Sunday After Pentecost/Affirmation of Baptism Sunday at our congregation Click here to read Philippians 4:1-9 Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice,’ Paul writes to his fellow Christ followers of Philippi (Ancient Greece). Paul is writing from prison, which is certainly not a joyful situation and it appears the Philippians are struggling as well. Yet Paul shares word
God's Will be Done
18th Sunday after Pentecost Today's scripture: Phil. 3:4-14 ; Matthew 21:33-46 Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. In today’s gospel lesson we get another parable from Jesus. This time he tells a story that sounds eerily to us like a foreshadowing of his crucifixion. A landowner created a beautiful vineyard and entrusted it to some tenants; God created a beautiful world and entrusted it to human stewards. When God,
Word and Deed
17th Sunday after Pentecost Today's Readings: Phil. 2:1-13 ; Matthew 21:23-32 Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Last week we heard in the gospel parable that the last would be first and the first would be last (Matt. 20:1-16). Jesus told of hired hands working in a vineyard, some all day, and some for only one hour, but all receiving the same daily wage. The landowner who hired these workers not only decided to pay t
Uncomfortable Grace
16th Sunday After Pentecost Today's readings: Phil. 1:21-30 ; Matthew 20:1-16 Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. In our first reading this morning we heard from the Apostle Paul as he wrote from prison to the Christians in Philippi. This is not the first time nor the last time Paul’s in jail and he is struggling. We hear in his letter today echoes from the later, but well known Shakespearean play Hamlet, “To be or not
Unceasing Forgiveness
15th Sunday after Pentecost Today's Readings: Romans 14:1-12 ; Matthew 18:21-35 Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Siblings in Christ, we have been given an immeasurable gift. We profess and trust in Christ, God incarnate, who lived, died, and rose again for the salvation of the world . We can never fully grasp the magnitude of what our God has done. The love and grace God extends to us is unconditional and impossi
Die and Rise with Christ
13th Sunday after Pentecost Readings: Romans 12:9-21 ; Matthew 16:21-28 Click to read ^^^ Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. In last week’s gospel we heard Peter proclaim that Jesus IS “the Messiah, the Son of the Living God!” Peter got it right . Yet in today’s gospel, we hear Jesus proclaim to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!” Peter, the rock, has quickly turned into a stumbling block. Ouch . What is it tha
