A prayer for those recovering from tornadoes
Lord of all that is, seen and unseen, we remember today those struggling to pick up the pieces after the destruction of..
More Stories from this Author
Who over what
My friend Frank Clark, a person of deep faith and a gifted psychiatrist, co-led a webinar on suicide prevention for the Outlook..
Transfiguration Sunday — March 3, 2019
Exodus 34:29-35; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-36 Being in a cloud disorients. When fog envelops the landscape, the familiar drive up the..
7th Sunday after Epiphany — February 24, 2019
Genesis 45:3-11, 15; Luke 6:27-38 Ordinary 7C; Proper 2 The Genesis text for this week offers an image of what Jesus instructs..
6th Sunday after Epiphany — February 17, 2019
Jeremiah 17:5-10; Luke 6:17-26 Ordinary 6C / Proper 1 Blessed or cursed. Blessings and woes. Compare and contrast. Both the reading from..
My Jesus-first agenda
You shall have no other gods before me. The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and..
5th Sunday after Epiphany — February 10, 2019
Isaiah 6:1-13; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11 Ordinary 5C I wonder what Simon really thought when Jesus instructed him to put his..
February 3, 2019 — 4th Sunday after Epiphany
Jeremiah 1:4-10; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Luke 4:21-30 Ordinary 4C Do you ever hear about an event in history or read a story..
God gives us a story
Flannery O’Connor prays: “Dear God, tonight it is not disappointing because you have given me a story. Don’t let me ever think,..
3rd Sunday after Epiphany — January 27, 2019
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21 Ordinary 3C Maybe the cold temperatures, the short days and the sluggishness of..
Our 200th year of ministry
We are excited to welcome 2019 as it marks the 200th anniversary of our ministry. Our first ancestor publication, The Missionary, began..
2nd Sunday after Epiphany — January 20, 2019
John 2:1-11 Ordinary 2C Jesus’ first sign is turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Jesus, Mary and Jesus’ newly..
The gift of limping
Reminders of human finitude take surprising forms. A recent back injury that refuses to abate has raised spiritual questions for me. Am..
Baptism of the Lord — January 13, 2019
Isaiah 43:1-7; Psalm 29; Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 Year C Do not fear. I have called you by name. You are..
Epiphany — January 6, 2019
Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12 Epiphany Year C Nations shall come to your light. Gentiles have become fellow heirs. Wise men..
Holy Spirit house of worship
Ineffable. The feeling that washes over you in worship or in a session meeting or at a community event in the church..
Prayer for the New Year
God of our past, present and future, as the calendar turns and we greet another year, we ask not so much..
1st Sunday after Christmas Day — December 30, 2018
1 Samuel 2:18-20; Colossians 3:12-17; Luke 2:41-52 Christmas 1C “He has a profound, profound faith. All were moved by the depth of..
Gratitude for the year
As we end this calendar year I want to express my deep gratitude for all of the people who make our..
Christmas prayer: “God of fresh starts…”
"No longer do we stumble through the dark valley of death. No longer do we fear evil. No longer do we languish in despair," writes Jill Duffield.
Christmas Eve prayer: We make our way to the manger
"Visit us this night with angels, give us ears to hear the chorus of good news of great joy for all people, grant us the courage to leave what we know in order to encounter heaven come to earth," writes Jill Duffield.
4th Sunday of Advent — December 23, 2018
Micah 5:2-5a; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-55 Advent 4C Women blessed by God accomplish the previously unimaginable. “Silent Night, Holy Night!” – one..
3rd Sunday of Advent — December 16, 2018
Zephaniah 3:14-20; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18 Advent 3C Rejoice, you brood of vipers there is still time to repent! I love the..
2nd Sunday of Advent — December 9, 2018
Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 3:1-6 Advent 2C The timing for John the Baptist to emerge from the wilderness came in the 15th year..
Renouncing white Jesus
No sooner had James Cone (THE Rev. Dr. James Cone) folded himself into my compact car and clicked the seatbelt, I blurted,..