Faith

We’ve all broken things and sometimes beyond repair. We’ve broken things other than just objects. Maybe it has been someone’s trust or relationship. We also have broken our relationship with God. Last week I talked about how our sin has consequences. When we make choices that go against what God has for us, we damage…

Remember last week we said that God is a rational God. He wants a relationship with us, just like he wanted a relationship with Adam and Eve. Genesis 2:16-17 After creating them and a world for them to live in, he gave them only one rule, “don’t eat the fruit from that tree because if…

The lectionary calendar for this Sunday (the second Sunday in Lent) continues to focus on the promises of God. I fully believe that the promises of God are not simplistic contractual agreements, but rather deep, relational expectations between God and humanity. In scripture we see these relational expectations happening between Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and…

In Luke 13: 10-17, the scene is in the synagogue on the sabbath. Jesus is there teaching, surrounded by a crowd when he spots a crippled woman. She has not come to plead for healing. She is there, maybe to listen. She is unnamed, but her pain is obvious and fierce. She is bent nearly…

As we begin the Season of Lent, I want to ask you to reflect on the past year. I know that I may get a little push back from you on this but hang with me. Lent offers us time to reflect with an expectation of renewal. Please do not miss the opportunity. No better…

Chances are you have not heard of either Sapphira or Rhoda. Like many women in the Bible, it is easy to pass over them and their significance for us in our choice of how to live. Both are named in the book of Acts and have contact with Peter. I could almost say they bookend…

Last week I wrote about our faith journey through ordinary time. This week we look at the last Sunday of Epiphany as we move toward the Lenten Season. The lectionary texts for the last Sunday of Epiphany focus on the healing power of God. From Isaiah 40 we learn that God gives power to the…

Today we return to Bethany (not the one in Harrison County) and Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. If Martha is the talker of the Bethany family, Mary is the actor. She says little, but she listens and acts. Mary is first introduced to us in Luke as she listens at Jesus’ feet while…

Many denominations follow a liturgical calendar. What does this mean? First, we look at the word liturgical: Of, relating to, or in accordance with liturgy. I love it when the word we are looking up is defined by the form of the word. That should drive us to dig deeper, not close the dictionary. Liturgical…