Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them; take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen. Advent is the beginning of the church year, and I love that the church turns the page on a fresh calendar as the hours of sunlight approach their nadir. By the time we…
The following was read to close the sermon: A poem by Steve Garnaas-Holmes Sure enough, God, I haven’t murdered anybody. Not one. But I have felt it, the heart’s assault, the desire to hurt another, my furtive suffocation of their humanity. Gentle my heart, Loving One. Ease my violence into its grave. Wash my fury clean with compassion, to see the other…
Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them; take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen. Last Thursday the 12 Days of Christmas wrapped up. Friday was Epiphany, the day we celebrate the arrival of the Magi to Bethlehem laden with their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And with it,…
Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them; take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen. Merry Christmas! In all the holiday hubbub – cleaning house, buying gifts, several trips to the grocery – you might have missed the announcement that Merriam…
Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them; take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen. An angel said, “do not be afraid.” While not used in exactly the same way, this is the only connecting point between the two different versions of Jesus’ birth narrative found in the Gospels…
Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them; take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen. Pay attention to the fine print of hope[1], for the beginning is near. Hope. It can be such a nostalgic word, one we relegate to the world of childhood, to wishes and dreams…
Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them; take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen. Lex orandi, lex credendi Roughly translated, that means: praying shapes believing. Long before I learned that phrase, in Latin or English, this was something I knew by heart. I did not grow up in a…
Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them; take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen. Today’s Gospel reading omits the first four verses of chapter 17, which set the stage for the disciples cry to Jesus to increase their faith. In vv. 1-4,…
Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them; take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen. Last week’s Gospel passage ended with: You cannot serve God and wealth. Which begs the question, what can you serve along with God? Today we get a glimpse…
Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them; take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen. Making sense of today’s parable is a Herculean effort, so I hope you’ll stick with me as we try to unpack it a little bit this morning. Let’s start with what’s the parable, and…