Matthew’s life was taken from him. Statistically, queer youth, adults, and especially trans women of color are some of the most at-risk populations. Remember, the Spirit assures us that we are never abandoned, even in the midst of the loss, pain, and sorrow that are part of life in this broken world. Queer people have always existed and have been made and created with God’s image.
Read MoreAs we approach the six month threshold of the coronavirus, there seems to be some optimism about a vaccine in our relatively near future. With that said there is also some conversation about who the pandemic has changed our lives and our behavior. This may be a moment for us to consider what we want to keep in terms of healthy practices and what are the elements of life worth leaving in the past. One element of life definitely worth holding on to is our improved skill of listening.
Read MoreHow much is actually sustainable in all of this — COVID-19, hurricanes, wildfires, racial injustice, shootings, school starting, work, home responsibilities, caring for family members and then living out our calling to love God and love our neighbors? What do we do? We look to scripture and the example of Peter for our answer.
Read MoreThe birth of the church is incredibly timely in our readings given our current context and inability to be together in worship. So, our job now and for the next couple of weeks is to consider what the first disciples did and said, and then think about how we may be called to act and live out our calling to build a new expression of church today.
Read MoreMartin Luther once wrote, “You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say.” We all have the moral obligation to use words and actions—God’s word and our voices, hands and feet—to serve our neighbors and proclaim the gospel. The world is truly chaotic, and we are only now beginning to realize the extent to which we are connected to one another. Now is the time to speak. Now is the time to be the church that speaks God’s reign into reality.
Read MoreLast night, the Church Council gathered for their monthly meeting. At the meeting we discussed how best to respond to the Coronavirus as individuals and a community of faith. I write to you now to share how the church leadership and I are responding in this time of need. Please know the Church Council is in regular communication with one another and, in the event that local protocols should change, we will keep you updated as soon as possible.
Read MoreRemember you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Every year we come here to our sanctuary in the evening hours of a winter night and walk forward to receive black ash pressed into our foreheads in the shape of a cross as we hear these words – you are dust and to dust you shall return. These words are an ominous reminder of the fragility of life and our own mortality.
Read MoreIn an attempt to modernize the parables for our current content, the following is a rewriting of the parables from Mark 4. One important note, like Jesus’ parables the images and examples are not sacred in any way. There is nothing particularly special about a sower or a mustard seed.
Read MoreToday is a great opportunity for us to consider where God is opening the circle to people on the fringe or on the edges of our community – or maybe in our hearts. Is God calling you to a moment of forgiveness from over the holiday season? Is God calling you to bring the heavenly kingdom into your world with a gesture of love?
Read MoreNow, as we sit here on Reformation Day, 502 years later, we may be able to celebrate these theological doctrines to be true, but something else has happened over the same course of time that has had an even greater influence on humanity as a result of Martin Luther’s reforming acts. We can think of this as the unintended consequences of the reformation.
Read MoreWe make tough decisions on a regular basis. Do we stay or do we go? Do we let go or do we hold tight? No matter the decision we make, it can often be the wrong one from some perspective. With that said, no matter what decision we make, God is with us.
Read MoreWe lie because we cannot often handle the truth about ourselves. What this says to me, and hopefully to you, is we need more grace than we realize. We quickly realize we do not have the capacity to follow any commandments and thus fall very short of God’s expectations.
Read MoreThe significance of the story this week is the focus on God’s ability to provide love, grace, and forgiveness, even to the black sheep of the family. For many who have caused great harm or pain to others, especially family members, the opportunity to reconcile or to atone for their mistakes can be incredibly powerful.
Read MoreThe key moment that changes cynical laughter to joyful laughter is when God says in Genesis 18:14: “Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?” Our Lord is a restoring and life-giving God. God is about doing wonderful things for us and for others.
Read MoreWhile following the rules of Sabbath is important, there has to be a rule above all other rules and that is the law of love. If someone is in need of care, and you or I have the opportunity to help, then the law of love is our greatest commandment.
Read MoreFollowing Jesus has always been a difficult challenge, but the road in front of us is like nothing we have seen before. Therefore we are to continually be reminded of our baptism, its importance, and the unique perspective it gives us on the world and our small and large decisions.
Read MoreReflect a moment on who taught you how to pray?
Was it a parent,--- a teacher, ---a pastor, ---a friend? Learning to pray is not like learning how to drive a car or to play an instrument. It is most likely not something, you can learn from a YouTube video. Learning to pray is something you do by watching others and practicing. Perhaps it’s like learning how to kiss.
Read MoreAfter landing on the moon, before the first steps, Buzz Aldrin paused for a moment with God. He asks the world to give thanks in their own way and then opens the communion kit his pastor gave him. “It was interesting to think that the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the first food eaten there, were communion elements."
Read MoreThis love for the neighbor that Jesus mentioned just before telling this story is not a friend-kind of love or an intimate-kind of love, it is the love for the other that is expressed by sacrificing one’s own resources for the well-being of another.
Read MoreWhy, we do we do all of this? Why do we lift each other up, why do we reach out to others who in some cases have little to no relevance in our lives. We do it because Jesus lifted us up, in our brokenness, pain, sin and struggles.
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