11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12singing with full voice,‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughteredto receive power and wealth and wisdom and mightand honour and glory and blessing!’ 13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,‘To the one seated on…
In preparing to write this devotion, I checked the lectionary selections for this week and was led to Chapter 5 of the Book of Revelation. The bold imagery pulled me in and I read more. The scene where St. John describes his vision of the Lamb that was slain, standing amid the four fantastic creatures and the twenty-four elders captured my imagination. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had…
“God’s one and only job description is to turn death into life. That’s what God does with every new springtime, every new life, every new season, every new anything.” — Richard Rohr The words above stand in tension with my past few weeks, as I said to more than one friend “Death is my constant companion of late.” Here in this season of Easter, of resurrection I’ve had more death than I’d like. Above you see a picture of a joyous occasion, the…
We live in a time when we are bombarded with information. With that comes the competition of who might yell the loudest for our attention. Coupled with that is a demand for our attention, which may be the most recent piece of information. Often the first casualty of an event is the headline that gets written by the next news cycle. Translation: if it is not in front of us right now, it is not happening or perhaps never happened.Here then is the…
Leave it as it is, you cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it. What you can do is to keep it for your children, your children’s children, and for all who come after you, as one of the great sights which every American if he can travel at all should see. Theodore Roosevelt, in a speech at the Grand Canyon, May 6, 1903 Theodore Roosevelt had never been to the Grand Canyon…
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture:“Behold, I am laying…
Several years ago—a lot longer than I want to admit--one of my favorite authors, Phillip Yancy, jolted my thinking about Holy Week, and Holy Saturday in particular. He wrote: Two days, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, are perhaps the most significant days on the Entire Church calendar, and yet, in a real sense, we live our lives on Saturday, the day in between. Human history grinds on, between the time of promise and fulfillment. It’s Saturday on planet Earth, will Sunday ever come?…
“This is the crisis we're in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God.” John 3:19 The MessageI presided and preached at worship this past Sunday, the Fifth Sunday in Lent. The text for my sermon, John 19:1-16a, was from the Narrative Lectionary. In the Narrative Lectionary for this year—the year of John—the texts for all the Sundays of Lent are events in…
“The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) It is possible to grow up within the Christian tradition with little regard for bodies. Sometimes the gospel is interpreted as if the body is simply a necessary distraction that will be discarded when our “real” lives begin. I have found that I cannot encounter Jesus without wrestling with what it means…
Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly (& sisterly) love, in honor giving preference to one another. Romans 12:10In our household March Madness has always been watched and followed diligently by my husband, Danny. But this year I decided to take an interest in it, too. I haven’t been able to watch the entirety of most games thus far, but have watched enough to learn more about basketball and to follow it more closely. I’ve especially enjoyed the wild close-call endings! In…
DIFFERENCE“ Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day, the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:46-47)I’ve spent the 2½ months since Epiphany trying to figure out my “star word”. Several of my past star words spoke to me immediately; it was readily apparent what God…
From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the…
The lectionary includes: - Isaiah 55:1-9 - Psalm 63:1-8 - 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 - Luke 13:1-9 This is one of those weeks where the texts assigned are pretty easy to find the connections that the editors of the lectionary intended. Some weeks are not so obvious. The contemplative nature of Lent also offers some focus. In the third week of Lent, we are called again, as we see in most weeks, to patience and waiting. This is not aways easy for modern Americans…
Verses 1-8 of Psalm 63 are included in this week’s lectionary readings. They express spiritual longing that is like physical longing.O God, you are my God, I seek you,My soul thirsts for you;My flesh faints for you,As in a dry and weary land where this is no water.The psalmist’s soul is thirsty and his body faints with longing like the longing for water. What is the difference between the physical and the spiritual? Does it matter? The psalmist’s whole being, physical and spiritual,…
"For where your treasure is, there your heart is also." (Matthew 6:21)have been attending an online course through Indiana University and the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving. Since January I have been reading and discussing financial giving and practices related to generosity with various leaders in the ELCA and other denominations across the country. Consistent themes in living generously are that living generously is a calling in each of our individual lives, it brings meaningful life to both the giver and recipients…
13 Happy are those who find wisdom,and those who get understanding, 14 for her income is better than silver,and her revenue better than gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels,and nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand;in her left hand are riches and honour. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;those who hold her fast…
“Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.” (Luke 4: 14)These verses describe the beginning of the Galilean ministry, coming right after the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. At the start of this Lenten season, we witness Jesus at this beginning. The start of a new church season can be a time to reflect on…
"I have also heard the groaning of the Israelites whom the Egyptians are holding as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the Israelites, ‘I am the Lord, and I will free you from the burdens of the Egyptians and deliver you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You shall know that I am the…
Two days from now, the festive feast days of Epiphany will give way to the somber season of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday. We are invited to reflect on God’s great love and mercy in sending Jesus Christ to reconcile us to God and to one another, through the forgiveness of sin, giving to us the gifts of life and salvation. The appointed Psalm for Ash Wednesday, March 2, is Psalm 51:1-17. While some Psalms speak about God, this penitential Psalm is…
“Know, then, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to occupy because of your righteousness; for you are a stubborn people." (Deuteronomy 9:6)The verse above comes from a reading in the Daily Lectionary for today (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p.1144). It recalls Moses speaking to the whole people of Israel concerning their actions during the 40 years they spent in the wilderness. It occurred to me as I read the text that this verse can help us as we make…
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (NRSV) Over 2,000 years ago, Greek philosopher Heraclitus stated, “The only constant in life is change.” Yet, we still grapple with this idea as though it is new. It seems as though the last few years have been full of unprecedented change and transition. Much has been said about this. However, it is one thing to talk about all the…
Today is St. Valentine’s Day, a favorite day among retailers. The price of flowers, particularly roses, rises to amazing heights. Jewelers hope to upsell bewildered patrons on larger and sparklier diamonds. After two years of financial difficulty, restaurants are undoubtedly hoping for a busy evening. In grocery stores and pharmacies, the busiest aisle is the greeting card aisle as last-minute purchases are made.This day dedicated to love is strangely named after St. Valentine, although it is somewhat unclear as to which of the…
Did you ever attend a baby shower for a first-time mother-to-be, and the guests decided to be “helpful”? Get a bunch of moms in the same room sharing their childbirth stories, and it can be scary! The horrors of 38-hour hard labor. The couple who barely makes it to the hospital in time. Frightening trips over icy country roads. The pain of natural childbirth. The side effects of drugs administered during labor. Each tale sounds worse than the last. It’s a bit like…
The word Ubuntu is an African word meaning “humanity to others.” The word has come into my life at different points in the past 20 years (starting way back when I was blessed to work at a YMCA camp as a counselor which hired international staff and my first summer there, we had two men from Africa on our staff team) and reminds me and us of the idea that ‘I am what I am because of who we are.’ I am offering…
Help me, O Lord. I am covered by the darkness. The day around me is like night. I feel far from your presence and far from everything I used to care about. Sometimes I think you don't know what I am going through or how much grief hurts. But I believe your word. You created the light to shine and drive out the darkness. The darkness is not dark to you—night is as bright as day. Darkness and light are alike to you.Sometimes…
The lessons for this week are held in Luke and Corinthians. Both are well-known citations, and I will leave the Gospel text encounter of Jesus with evil to the pastors.I’m much more called to examine the Epistle text in 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13. This well-known text is Paul’s treatise on love and his conclusion that of the three components: faith, hope, and love, the greatest is love.Many people choose to use some piece of this text for the groundwork of their marriage vows.…
“… (Jesus) passed through the midst of them and went on his way.” Luke 4:30 In recent months I’ve had the occasion to interact with persons in our health care system—from the persons who greet me when I check in for an appointment to the those who care for me in the hospital and examination rooms. I’ve been struck numerous times with this thought: “This terrible pandemic has actually made these persons better people!” They interact with me in caring, committed, professional, and…
I was not much of a sleuth as a child. I must have been 7 years old before I solved “the mystery of the macaroni and cheese”. Periodically, we were treated to four or five consecutive mac and cheese dinners. It wasn’t until I paired that information with the calendar that I figured it out. It wasn’t about pleasing the children – it was about family economics. Mac and cheese was the best we could afford right before payday. What must have felt…
Are you tired of wearing a mask and reminders to get vaccinated? Do you wish things were the way they used to be? I know I do. We are chafing under the restrictions laid upon us. Imagine if these restrictions lasted 70 years! That is what happened to the Israelites when they were carried off into captivity in Babylonia. Remember the Psalm where they cry, "By the rivers of Babylon—there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion. . .…
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