Looking into the lectionary 2nd Sunday of Advent — December 10, 2017 Isaiah 40:1-11; 2 Peter 3:8-15 ; Mark 1:1-8 Advent 2B Punctuation matters. Maybe you’ve seen those T-shirts and mugs that read: “Let’s..
Prayers for the moment Responsive Advent prayer of confession As Advent dawns again, O God, we lament that hateful chants, violence, and death have marked our streets. Lord, have mercy! God..
Looking into the lectionary First Sunday of Advent — December 3, 2017 Isaiah 64:1-9; Mark 13:24-37 Advent 1B Let’s start with the most basic of questions as we kick off Advent this year: Do..
Prayers for the moment Prayer for Egypt God of all creation, on a holiday weekend of family, festivities, shopping and decorating, our tendency to forget the wider world of..
Looking into the lectionary Christ the King Sunday — November 26, 2017 Ezekiel 34:11-16; Matthew 25:31-46 Christ the King/Reign of Christ Year A Sorting seems a natural instinct for we humans. Like children on..
Prayers for the moment Thanksgiving prayer: How can we not give thanks? Gratitude follows grace, Lord of all creation, and evidence of your grace overflows, spills out and engulfs us. How then can we..
Looking into the lectionary 24th Sunday after Pentecost – November 19, 2017 Matthew 25:14-30 Ordinary 33A; Proper 28 The utterances from Jesus in this week’s parable resonate far too much with a belief I..
Looking into the lectionary 23rd Sunday after Pentecost – November 12, 2017 Matthew 25:1-13 Ordinary 32A; Proper 27 Heard the word “bridegroom” spoken lately? Do people in your congregation discuss Christ’s return or are..
Hymns Hymn: “If We Just Talk of Thoughts and Prayers” Thanks to Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, this hymn is free for congregations to use in worship. It was written after the church shooting..
Prayers for the moment Why I give to the church This fall stewardship season the good folks at “my” church asked if I would share with the congregation why I support..