Tag: darkness

  • In the Shadows of Triumph

    In the Shadows of Triumph

    Isaiah 42:1–9; Psalm 36:5–11; Hebrews 9:11–15; John 12:1–11 Yesterday, we celebrated Palm Sunday. The Messiah, no, the King, no, God (!) entered Jerusalem! At churches around the world, children paraded waving palm branches. The triumphant entry is a big thing! I remember being part of a multi-church parade on Palm Sunday. We walked from one…

  • At The Gates

    At The Gates

    Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29; Jeremiah 33:10–16; Mark 10:32–34, 46–52 When we read the word “barren” in Jeremiah, we often think it is talking about the land, in particular the environment. The barrenness is in regard to people, in particular, God’s people (and their herds). They will soon no longer reside in the Promised Land, praising and…

  • Depths of Lent

    Depths of Lent

    What life experience can you use to relate to hope in despair?

  • Storms in Store

    Storms in Store

    We are called to pull people out of the maelstroms of life, not shove them further, no matter who they are.

  • Heart of God, Speak

    Heart of God, Speak

    Deuteronomy 18:15–20; Mark 1:21–28 Prophetic speech is not unique to the Judeo-Christian community, not by a long shot. In the current world, there are many forms of prophetic voice. A short list (i.e., not exhaustive) of prophetic voices: environmental collapse; sustainability (related, but not the same as environmental collapse); gender identification; minority redress (including, but…

  • Whose King

    Whose King

    Psalm 95:1–7a; Ezekiel 34:11–24; Matthew 25:31–46; Ephesians 1:15–23 Christ is King. We often say that to ourselves and to others. The real question that we need to ask is, do we believe it? As the 2020 US political season wraps up, the victors and the losers each have their speeches to give, and much to…

  • Force or Choice

    Force or Choice

    Matthew 20:20–28; Matthew 22:15–22 The author Robert Heinlein once wrote, “When you vote, you are exercising political authority, you’re using force. And force, my friends, is violence. The supreme authority from which all other authorities are derived.” There has been a transformation in our society where this seems to be truer now than when Heinlein…

  • Rooftop Shenanigans

    Rooftop Shenanigans

    Jeremiah 17:9–11; Luke 12:1–12 If you have a smartphone, you are probably aware of this little program installed on it, which is supposedly an assistant. “Hello, Google, Siri, Bixby, Alexa.” This program can be helpful. Yet, there is often weirdness associated with it. There have been plenty of experiences where Facebook suddenly shows stuff in…