Mar 31, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 HE IS RISEN!March 31, 2024 Acts 10:34-43 | 1 Corinthians 25:6-9 | John 20:1-18 | Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24“They (the angels) said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they...
Mar 30, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Questioning the SpiritMarch 30, 2024 Job 14:1-14 | 1 Peter 4:1-8 | Matthew 27:57-66 | Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16In today’s Gospel, Matthew 27:57-66, it reads, …” after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered...
Mar 29, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 So what’s so good about this Friday? March 29, 2024 Isaiah 52:13-53:12 | Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 | John 18:1-19:42 | Psalm 22I first started attending St. Luke’s in 1995… in a few years, I would join the Canterbury...
Mar 28, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Servant and PriestMarch 28, 2024 Exodus 12:1-14 | 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 | John 13:1-17, 31b-35 | Psalm 116:1, 10-17Maundy Thursday is a day of traditions. Jews and Christians alike celebrate the Exodus from Egypt with a Passover meal....
Mar 27, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Encouraging strength of spirit and character. March 27, 2024 Isaiah 50:4-9a | Hebrews 12:1-3 | John 13:21-32 | Psalm 70I have never been a fan of the saying, “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” One reason is because the term...
Mar 26, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 I put my trust in You, Lord March 26, 2024 Isaiah 49:1-7 | 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 | John 12:20-36 | Psalm 71:1-14Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,from the clutches of the evildoer and the oppressor.This verse from today’s Psalm...
Mar 25, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Covenant March 25, 2024 Isaiah 42:1-9 | Hebrews 9:11-15 | John 12:1-11 | Psalm 36:5-11Isaiah 42:1-9Here is my servant, whom I uphold,my chosen, in whom my soul delights;I have put my spirit upon him;he will bring forth justice to the...
Mar 24, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 An outfit for a Sunday of festivitiesMarch 24, 2024 Mark 11:1-11| Isaiah 50:4-9a|Psalm 31:9-16|Philippians 2:5-11|Mark 14:1-15-15:47Palm Sunday has always been one of my favorites church celebrations. It ranks up there amongst the major...
Mar 23, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Legality vs. AmbiguityMarch 23, 2024 Ezekiel 37:21-28 | John 11:45-53 | Psalm 85:1-7 Today’s readings bring home to me that magnificent but sometimes scary difference between obeying a law and being guided by the ambiguity of God’s...
Mar 22, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 “The kingdom of heaven is like…”March 22, 2024 Jeremiah 20:7-13 | John 10:31-42 | Psalm 18:1-7I remember having a necklace with a little round, see-through glass ball with a very tiny seed inside… A mustard seed… I was probably in...
Mar 21, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 What’s in a name? March 21, 2024 Genesis 17:1-8 | John 8:51-59 | Psalm 105:4-11Forty-eight years ago this week I began recruit training as a firefighter with the Warwick Fire Department. I was so excited. After getting our turn-out gear...
Mar 20, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Roughing It March 20, 2024 Daniel 3:14–20,24–28 | John 8:31–42 | Canticle [2] or 13“Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; *you are worthy of praise; glory to you.” (Canticle 13)Shadrach Meshach, and Abednego may never have had a...
Mar 19, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 But they did not understand. March 19, 2024 Photo courtesy of lumoproject.com2 Samuel 7:4, 8-16 | Romans 4:13-18 | Luke 2:41-52 | Psalm 89:1-29Luke’s New Testament words today bring to my mind the relationship between parents and...
Mar 18, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Who is Susanna? March 18, 2024 Susanna [1–9,15–29,34–40],41-62 | John 8:1–11 or John 8:12–20 | Psalm 23Not being a Biblical scholar nor an avid reader of the Apocrypha, I was curious about the Old Testament reading. While the background...
Mar 17, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 God’s MercyMarch 17, 2024 Jeremiah 31:31-34 | Hebrews 5:5-10 | John 12:20-33 | Psalm 51:1-13”Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness;… “What is mercy? I’ve seen several explanations for this word. Some indicate that one is...
Mar 16, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 God Prevails March 16, 2024 Jeremiah 11:18–20 | John 7:37–52 | Psalm 7:6–11Let us destroy the tree with its fruitLet us cut him from the land of the living,So that his name will no longer be remembered.” – Jeremiah 11:18-20This passage...
Mar 15, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Did Jesus Have FOMO?March 15, 2024 Wisdom 2:1a, 12-24 | John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 | Psalm 34:15-22I see this gospel (John 7:1–2,10,25–30) as a push-pull between Jesus’s human and divine selves. We hear about Jesus first deciding NOT to go...
Mar 14, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Shining Lamps & God’s Love.March 14, 2024 Pat Hallenbeck, 1972, working with the youth group.Exodus 32: 7-14 | John 5:30-47 | Psalm 106:6-7, 19-21The gospel reading for today, from John 5:30-47, made me remember my life 50 years ago,...
Mar 13, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Comfort March 13, 2024 Isaiah 49:8-15 | John 5:19-29 | Psalm 145:8-19Although the word “comfort” does not appear in these passages, I became aware that the concept is a theme found in each one.In Isaiah God comforts His...
Mar 12, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 WaterMarch 12, 2024 Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12 | John 5:1-18 | Psalm 46:1-8With all that water is, it is no wonder it winds its way through our stories and beliefs. In Ezekiel 47: 1-9, 12, the river brings life. “It will become fresh; and...
Mar 11, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Paying Attention March 11, 2024 Isaiah 65:17-25 | John 4:43-54 | Psalm 30:1-6, 11-13As I attend to life’s troubles – which seem vexingly more complex with age – the Spirit whispers to slow down, be silent, pay attention. These practices...
Mar 10, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 IlluminationMarch 10, 2024 Numbers 21:4-9 | Ephesians 2:1-10 | John 3:14-21 | Psalm 107:1-3,17-22I took my one and only art history course as a college sophomore in 1975. Regrettably, the only thing I retained from those studies is the...
Mar 9, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Right on cue, the Lenten roses are blooming March 9, 2024 Hosea 6:1-6 | Luke 18:9-14 | Psalm 51:15-20 Even without non-stop snow and deep freezes, this winter has felt particularly dreary. Maybe it was the seemingly endless gray weather in...
Mar 8, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Loving Your Neighbor March 8, 2024 Hosea 14:1-9 | Mark 12:28-34 | Psalm 81:8-14“The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – Mark 12:28-34Love it is one of the biggest things that is talked about during the season of...
Mar 7, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Thread of the DivineMarch 7, 2024 Jeremiah 7:23-28 | Luke 11:14-23 | Psalm 95:6-11It is 4:47PM on the night that my blog is due. Recently, I had a conversation with Father Tim and was inspired to be a part of the Lenten blog series this...
Mar 6, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Pondering SafetyMarch 6, 2024 Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 5-9 | Matthew 5:17-19 | Psalm 78:1-6 Give ear to our prayers, O Lord, and direct the way of your servants in safety under your protection, that, amid all the changes of our earthly...
Mar 5, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 FORGIVEMarch 5, 2024 Song of Three Young Men 2-4, 11-20a | Matthew 18: 21-35 | Psalm 25:3-10Today we live in a culture that often ignores the importance of forgiveness, and today’s readings remind us how essential it is to ask for and give...
Mar 4, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. March 4, 2024 2 Kings 5:1-15b | Luke 4:23-30 | Psalm 42:1-7It’s true, isn’t it? Those who know us in a certain context – family, friends, neighbors, co-workers...
Mar 3, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 The Law of LoveMarch 3, 2024 Exodus 20:1-17 | 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 | John 2:13-22 | Psalm 19The Old Testament lesson appointed for today lists the 10 Commandments that were given to Moses. I remember learning the 10 Commandments as a...
Mar 2, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Grateful March 2, 2024 Click image to enlarge Micah 7:14-15 | Luke 15:11-32 | Psalm 103:1-12 My mind began to meander as I sat with today’s readings. One of the reasons for my winding and weaving thoughts is that many of these words are...
Mar 1, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Where the journey may leadMarch 1, 2024 Genesis 37:3-4, 12-28 | Matt 21:33-43 | Psalm 105:16-22Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.”This gospel...
Feb 29, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Roots of Trust February 29, 2024 Jeremiah 17:5-10 | Luke 16:19-31 | Psalm 1In today’s lessons, both the passage from the Book of Jeremiah and Psalm 1 paint the same image:Blessed are those who trust in the Lord… They shall be like a...
Feb 28, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 GreatnessFebruary 28, 2024 Jeremiah 18:1-11, 18-20 | Matt 20:17-28 | Psalm 31: 9-16“but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came...
Feb 27, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Honoring GodFebruary 27, 2024 Isaiah 1:2-4, 16-20 | Matt 23:1-12 | Psalm 50:7-15,22-24“Whoever offers me the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me; but to those who keep in my way will I show the salvation of God.” Psalm50:24As we have been...
Feb 26, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Hmmm February 26, 2024 Daniel 9:3-10 | Luke 6:27-38 | Psalm 79:1-9Jesus said, “I say to you that listen, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES… Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for...
Feb 25, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Where Do I Walk in the Covenant with God? February 25, 2024 Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 | Romans 4:13-26 | Mark 8:31-38 | Psalm 22:22-30In all the readings for this the second Sunday of Lent a reoccurring theme has somehow taken up space in...
Feb 24, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Feast of St. Matthias the ApostleFebruary 24, 2024 Acts 1:15-26 | Philippians 3:13-21 | John 15:1, 6-16 | Psalm 15 February 24 is the Feast of St. Matthias in the Episcopal church and the readings for today celebrate him. Many may...
Feb 23, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Help us better understand God’s love. February 23, 2024 Ezekiel 18:21–28 | Matthew 5:20–26 | Psalm 130Lent is my favorite time of the church year. Forty days to remember Christ being tempted by the devil. His strength. His love for...
Feb 22, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Becoming February 22, 2024 Esther (Apocrypha) 14:1–6,12–14 | Matthew 7:7-12 | Psalm 138When I read today’s lessons, I was so excited! I love Esther. She is so inspiring- a Cinderella/Joan of Arc woman. If you ever think “I can’t do...
Feb 21, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 The peace of being renewed in right spirit awaits us.February 21, 2024 Jonah 3:1-10 | Luke 11:29-32 | Psalm 51:11-18At my first reading, today’s texts all seemed to be about evil – honestly not my favorite part of scripture. As I re-read...
Feb 20, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Pray, Forgive, OvercomeFebruary 20, 2024 A terracotta sculptural model of Saint Matthew by Giuseppe BernardiIsaiah 55:6-11 | Matt 6:7-15 | Psalm 34:15-22As Christians, we are called to grow into the image of God. What does that mean?...
Feb 19, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Sheep and Goats February 19, 2024 Leviticus 19:1-2, 2:1-18 Matt 25:31-46 Psalm 19:7-14The parable of the sheep and the goats… This one intrigues me—especially upon learning our beloved Fr. Tim and his dear wife Diane will soon be not...
Feb 18, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Destructive, yet life-giving – water. February 18, 2024 Genesis 9:8-17 | 1 Peter 3:18-22 | Mark 1:9-15 | Psalm 25:1-9Water. Beautiful to look at, refreshing to drink. But what happens when there is too much? After the January storms...
Feb 17, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Listening, Doing, and Knitting My Heart to God February 17, 2024 Isaiah 58:9b-14 | Psalm 86:1-11 | Luke 5:27-32“Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; knit my heart to you that I may fear your Name.”Today’s...
Feb 16, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 How Fast to Your Fast February 16, 2024 Isaiah 58:1-9a | Matt 9:10-17 | Psalm 51:1-10Support Support us, O Lord, with your gracious favor through the fast we have begun; that as we observe it by bodily self-denial, so we may fulfill it...
Feb 15, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Choices February 15, 2024 Deuteronomy 30:15-20 | Luke 9:18-25 | Psalm 1″See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity…I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life...
Feb 14, 2024 | Lenten Blog 2024
Home > Lenten Blog 2024 All You Need Is Love!February 14, 2024 Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 | Isaiah 58:1-12 | Psalm 103 | 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 | Matt 6:1-6, 16-21When we began to put plans together for our Lenten blog, I was surprised and somewhat amused that Ash...
Dec 25, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 Magnificent!December 25, 2023 Luke 1:46-55Today, many of us will give, receive, and open presents. We will hear a litany of phrases like, “wow, just what I wanted!” Or, “this is great!” Or, “um… well… it is clear that you put a lot of work...
Dec 24, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 Christmas Eve with family December 24, 2023 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 | Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26 | Romans 16:25-27 | Luke 1:26-38We are nearing the end of the Advent season. And today’s scripture reminds me just how far humanity had fallen to...
Dec 23, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 This Advent, choose to be the breath of heaven to someone – be God’s love. December 23, 2023 Zech. 8:9-17 | Psalm 55 | Revelation 6:1-17 | Matt. 25:31-46In his recent book, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and...
Dec 22, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 God Bless the Child That’s Got Her Own December 22, 2023 Zechariah 7:8-8:8 | Psalm 40 | Revelation 5:6-14 | Matthew 25:14-30Back in 1968, the rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears released their second album, which included their version...
Dec 21, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 Believing is Seeing! December 21, 2023 Habakkuk 2:1-4 | Psalm 126 | Hebrews 10:35-11: 1 | John 20:24-29Thomas was known as “Doubting Thomas”. He did not believe things unless he saw them himself. He did not believe Jesus had risen...
Dec 20, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 Where do you find Joy?December 20, 2023 Isaiah 55:6-11 | Psalm 46 | John 15:1-11I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. John 15:11 This is the 3rd week of advent. The pink candle...
Dec 19, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 The Lesson of the Fig Tree December 19, 2023 Zechariah 2:1-13 | Psalm 45 | Revelation 3:14-22 | Matthew 24:32-44‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is...
Dec 18, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 May you find poetry even in dark moments.December 18, 2023 Zech. 1:7-17 | Psalm 41 | Psalm 53 | Revelation 3:7-13 | Matt. 24:15-31When you hear the word ‘Advent’, what do you think? If you’re like me, plenty of images spring to mind:...
Dec 17, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 Make Straight the Way of the Lord December 17, 2023 Isaiah 61:1-4 8-11 | Psalm 126 1 | Thessalonians 5:16-24 | John 1:6-8, 19-28A few weeks ago, I decided to begin a new project. It always seems that when I begin a new project,...
Dec 16, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. December 16, 2023 Haggai 2:1-19 | Psalm 30 | Psalm 32 | Revelation 3:1-6 | Matthew 24:1-14One of the many ways that being a part of St. Luke’s has deepened my faith...
Dec 15, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 Bearing Witness December 15, 2023 2 Kings 5:1-14 | Psalm 96 | Luke 13:10-17Today “Lesser Feasts and Fasts” invites us to reflect on the life of Nino, a fourth century missionary to the country of Georgia. Georgia was and is located at...
Dec 14, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 God’s Lullaby December 14, 2023 1 Kings 19:1-9 | Psalm 121 | John 16:12-221 I lift up my eyes to the hills; * from where is my help to come?2 My help comes from the Lord, * the maker of heaven and earth.3 He will not let your...
Dec 13, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 The True LightDecember 13, 2023 Revelation 19:5-8 | Psalm 131 | John 1:9-149″The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did...
Dec 12, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 Things That Matter December 12, 2023 I keep thinking about Jonathan’s sermon from Sunday, Nov. 26th. If you missed it, go to YouTube… Watch… Listen… REALLY LISTEN… I know… I know… Jonathan’s sermon wasn’t an ADVENT sermon… It wasn’t Advent...
Dec 11, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 Shepherding Community December 11, 2023 1 Corinthians 1 | Psalm 18:1-6, 18-20 | John 10:11-18The themes of division and community thread through both 1st Corinthians and today’s Gospel. Today, as in long ago Corinth, we are all too...
Dec 10, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 Where do you find Peace? December 10, 2023 Isaiah 40:1-11 | Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 | 2 Peter 3:8-15a | Mark 1:1-8Psalm: 85:8 “I will listen to what the Lord God is saying, for he is speaking peace to his faithful people and to those who...
Dec 9, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 A lot to think about… December 9, 2023 Amos 5:18-27 | Psalm 20-21 | Jude 17-25 | Matthew 22:15-22In the Amos reading, while this passage is about darkness rather than light, this is the verse that speaks to me: 24But let justice roll...
Dec 8, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 Hope and Grace December 8, 2023 Isaiah 64:1-9 | Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18 | 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 | Mark 13:24-37My first reading of today’s selected scripture left me feeling a bit unsettled. I’m just not comfortable with all the anger and...
Dec 7, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 Having Faith December 7, 2023 1Kings 21:17-29 | Psalm 27:5-11 | Luke 12:35-46After reading and re-reading the passages and psalm a couple things came to mind. One of the things is that being a person of any faith comes with a price. That...
Dec 6, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 Receive the Kingdom of God!December 6, 2023 1 John 4:7-14 | Psalm 145:8-13 | Mark 10:13-16I’ve been thinking a lot about little children these days. Not just because it’s the holiday season, in which we see all kinds of ads with and for...
Dec 5, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 Seeking PeaceDecember 5, 2023 Psalm 34:9-14 | Colossians 1:11-20 | John 6:57-63Some days it is difficult to reconcile the scripture readings with what is happening in the world around us. Having lived through many tumultuous times you...
Dec 4, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 Oh, Happy Day! December 4, 2023 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 | Psalm 118:14-21 | John 5:24-27‘Confirm our minds, O Lord, in the mysteries of the true faith … that we, with him, confessing Jesus to be true God and true Man and singing the...
Dec 3, 2023 | Advent Blog 2023
Home > Advent Blog 2023 Do we need God? December 3, 2023 Isaiah 64:1-9 | Psalm 80:1-7 1 | Corinthians 1: 3-9 | Mark 13:24-37It’s here! Again! The most wonderful time of the year! Again! Advent! A beginning! A time of anticipation! A time of preparation! A...
Apr 9, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 Easter Sunday 4.17.22 Please enjoy this recording from last year’s Easter Sunday Service.We welcome you to join us for Sunday services at 7:45AM or 10:15AM throughout the Easter...
Apr 8, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 “Don’t you get me wrong. I only want to know.”* April 8, 2023 (Click above photo to enlarge) Job 14:1-14 or Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24 | Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16 | 1 Peter 4:1-8 | Matthew 27:57-66 or John 19:38-42 Growing up a child of the...
Apr 7, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 Good Friday Taizé Service 4.15.22 Please enjoy this recording from last year’s Good Friday Taizé Service.We welcome you to join us for tonight’s Taizé Service starting at...
Apr 6, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 “Do this in remembrance of me”April 6, 2023 Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14 | Psalm 116:1, 10-17 | 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 | John 13:1-17, 31b-35Maundy Thursday is for me one of the most profound moments in the Christian calendar. It is,...
Apr 5, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 Have faith in God to be there for us. April 5, 2023 Isaiah 50:4-9a | Psalm 70 | Hebrews 12:1-3 | John 13:21-32John’s Gospel for the Wednesday in Holy Week speaks of Jesus being troubled in spirit. He knows that one of his...
Apr 4, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 “I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”April 4, 2023 Isaiah 49:1-7 | Psalm 71:1-14 | 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 | John 12:20-36What a responsibility! Throughout our time on earth,...
Apr 3, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 Bring Forth Justice to the Nations April 3, 2023 Isaiah 42:1-9 | Psalm 36:5-11 | Hebrews 9:11-15 | John 12:1-11Isaiah tells us today about someone it’s taken me a while to get to know: God’s chosen servant “in whom [His/Her] soul...
Apr 2, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 Beloved is Where We BeginApril 2, 2023 Isaiah 50:4-9a | Psalm 31:9-16 | Philippians 2:5-11 | Matthew 26:14- 27:66 or Matthew 27:11-54Lent is a time to examine and reflect, in the light of Christ’s values and our lives; anchoring our...
Apr 1, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 We all are to be gather together loving God and one another. April 1, 2023 Ezekiel 37:21–28 | Psalm 85:1–7 | John 11:45–53When I finally agreed to participate in this blog, I worried about what reading I would be assigned. For me,...
Mar 31, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 I Will Call Upon the Lord March 31, 2023 Jeremiah 20:7–13 | Psalm 18:1–7 | John 10:31–42As I read through these scriptures, my first reaction was “Circle the wagons, we’re surrounded”. When I finished laughing at myself I remembered a...
Mar 30, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 Abraham March 30, 2023 Genesis 17:1–8 | Psalm 105:4–11 | John 8:51–59Today’s readings from Genesis, Psalm 105, and John have a common focus: Abraham. Abraham is the patriarch of the Jewish people who Yahweh chose for a special...
Mar 29, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 FaithfulnessMarch 29, 2023 Daniel 3:14–20,24–28 | Canticle [2] or 13 | John 8:31–42In the Old Testament reading, Shadrach, Mesach, and Abednego were challenged by King Nebuchnezzar who insisted they deny their faith and fall down and...
Mar 28, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 Grant that they may be built as living stones into a spiritual temple acceptable to you. March 28, 2023 Numbers 21:4–9 | John 8:21–30 | Psalm 102:15–22 Look with compassion upon those who are being prepared for Holy Baptism, and grant...
Mar 27, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 Goodness and Mercy shall follow usMarch 27, 2023 Susanna [1–9,15–29,34–40],41-62 | Psalm 23 | John 8:1–11 or John 8:12–20Today’s readings contain one of the most well known passages in Scripture, at least to my ears: Psalm 23. While I...
Mar 26, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 Now he knows. March 26, 2023 Ezekiel 37:1-14 | Psalm 130 | Romans 8:6-11 | John 11:1-45One of my early memories is of learning that a neighbor had died. I had passed the age of magical thinking, and I knew that we would no longer see...
Mar 25, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 Be grateful to God every dayMarch 25, 2023 The Annunciation stain glass window in Taize. Photographer Kevin LloydIsaiah 7:10-14 | Psalm 45 or Psalm 40:5-10 or Canticle 15 (or 3) | Hebrews 10:4-10 | Luke 1:26-38We need to pour God’s...
Mar 24, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 More beautiful every time the LORD shines his light through it.March 24, 2023 Wisdom 2:1a,12–24 | Psalm 34:15–22 | John 7:1–2,10,25–30 Psalm 34:18 The LORD is near to the broken-hearted, and saves the...
Mar 23, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 “And God said unto Moses… Well, aren’t your people a fickle lot”March 23, 2023 Exodus 32:7–14 | Psalm 106:6–7,19–23 | John 5:30–47In the readings for this week of lent I found myself reaching to the same conclusion… we are a mess, and...
Mar 22, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 ContextMarch 22, 2023 Isaiah 49:8–15 | Psalm 145:8–19 | John 5:19–29The 274 words of the Gospel reading from John (5:19-29) really covers a huge amount of material and a lot of the basic fundamentals of Christianity. There is so much...
Mar 21, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 Fresh Water March 21, 2023 Dead SeaEzekiel 47:1–9,12 | Psalm 46:1–8 | John 5:1–18Definitions: Cubit = an ancient measure of length, approximately equal to the length of a forearm. It was typically about 18 inchesArabah = desert or...
Mar 20, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 Lift your voices in song and sing praises to our Lord and God! March 20, 2023 2 Samuel 7:4,8-16 | Psalm 89:1-29 or 89:1-4, 26-29 | Romans 4:13-18 | Luke 2:41-52Your love, O LORD, for ever will I sing; from age to age my mouth will...
Mar 19, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 The Lord is My Shepherd March 19, 2023 1 Samuel 16:1-13 | Psalm 23 | Ephesians 5:8-14 | John 9:1-41Lent is a time when our focus tends to be on repentance, fasting, self-denial and meditation. Combining that with the current events...
Mar 18, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 Perfection, Humility and the Pharisee Within March 18, 2023 Dispute between Jesus and the Pharisees – Gustave DoréHosea 6:1–6 | Psalm 51:15–20 | Luke 18:9–14In the parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector, Jesus rebukes the grandiose,...
Mar 17, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 Loving With a Whole HeartMarch 17, 2023 Hosea 14:1–9 | Psalm 81:8–14 | Mark 12:28–34I can’t quite believe I was assigned this reading. It is so very foundational to our faith. It’s what I’ve heard in my head – and in church – my whole...
Mar 16, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 Keeping Watch March 16, 2023 Jeremiah 7:23–28 | Psalm 95:6–11 | Luke 11:14–23Collect for today:Keep watch over your Church, O Lord, with your unfailing love; and, since it is grounded in human weakness and cannot maintain itself without...
Mar 15, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 Keeping the Commandments of the Lord March 15, 2023 Deuteronomy 4:1–2,5–9 | Psalm 78:1–6 | Matthew 5:17–19Moses said “You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of...
Mar 14, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 Forgive from our heart. March 14, 2023 Song of the Three Young Men 2–4,11–20a | Psalm 25:3–10 | Matthew 18:21–35The Gospel today, Matthew 18:21-35, is well-known, i.e.,Peter: How many times should I forgive another who sins against...
Mar 13, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 What were you expecting? March 13, 2023 2 Kings 5:1–15b | Psalm 42:1–7 | Luke 4:23–30The lessons assigned for today have me thinking about expectations, and how we react when things don’t go exactly as we had hoped.In the Hebrew...
Mar 12, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 I’m really thirsty, would you please give me a drink?March 12, 2023 Exodus 17:1-7 | Psalm 95 | Romans 5:1-11 | John 4:5-42 Reading Scripture has been an exciting and interesting exploration for me ever since I was a little girl and...
Mar 11, 2023 | Lenten Blog 2023
Home > Lenten Blog 2023 The Real Emotional Reflections of The Prodigal SonMarch 11, 2023 Micah 7:14–15,18–20 | Psalm 103:1–4(5–8)9–12 | Luke 15:11–32I would wager that many of us with siblings have felt a sense of discomfort when absorbing the story of the...
