Dec 9, 2022 | Advent Blog 2022
Home > Advent Blog 2022 Experience first-hand St. Luke’s loving community. December 9, 2022 Isaiah 7:10-25 | 2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5 | Luke 22:14-30 To celebrate my 82nd birthday (today, Dec. 9th) – and just when I was getting kind of complacent about my dear...
Dec 8, 2022 | Advent Blog 2022
Home > Advent Blog 2022 Ponder the mystery of Christ in new waysDecember 8, 2022 Isaiah 7:1-9 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 Luke 22:1-13 Even after all these years in the Episcopal church, I find it jarring to be reading about Jesus’ last week of life right before...
Dec 7, 2022 | Advent Blog 2022
Home > Advent Blog 2022 Judgement December 7, 2022 Isaiah 6:1-13 | 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 | John 7:53-8:11Judgement – it seems to surround us these days! We watch behaviors in isolation and make judgements. We hear the news and make judgements. We make decisions,...
Dec 6, 2022 | Advent Blog 2022
Home > Advent Blog 2022 Day By DayDecember 6, 2022 Isaiah 5:13-15, 24-25 | 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 | Luke 21:29-38One of my favorite things to do, is to have a “planning session” with my Gary. We have them often, like daily…and they usually involve a cup of...
Dec 5, 2022 | Advent Blog 2022
Home > Advent Blog 2022 Kept me in the light.December 5, 2022 Isaiah 5:8-12, 18-23 | 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 | Luke 21:20-28My thoughts will be on 1 Thessalonians 5:5,8-11.’5for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or...
Dec 4, 2022 | Advent Blog 2022
Home > Advent Blog 2022 God’s Own Seeds December 4, 2022 Isaiah 11:1-10 | Romans 15:4-13 | Matthew 3:1-12“Righteousness ” or “righteously” occurs six times in today’s readings and is referenced throughout the texts. The concept grabbed my attention and allowed me...
Dec 3, 2022 | Advent Blog 2022
Home > Advent Blog 2022 The Gift of Hope December 3, 2022 Isaiah 4:2-6 | 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 | Luke 21:5-19[The Coming of the Lord]But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do...
Dec 2, 2022 | Advent Blog 2022
Home > Advent Blog 2022 Seen By God December 2, 2022 Isaiah 3:8-15 | 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 | Luke 20:41-21:4 The story of the widow’s mite is about giving all that you have even when you have little to give. It is also about the idea that Jesus sees what humankind...
Dec 1, 2022 | Advent Blog 2022
Home > Advent Blog 2022 He who calls you is to be trusted. December 1, 2022 Isaiah 2:12-22 | 1 Thessalonians 3:1-13 | Luke 20:27-40 I was assigned 1 Thessalonians chapter 3, but this is a short epistle so I read the entire letter and found treasures in chapter 5. ...
Nov 30, 2022 | Advent Blog 2022
Home > Advent Blog 2022 “Thy Kingdom Come” November 30, 2022 Washington National Cathedral – Photo by Lawrence OP http://lawrenceop.tumblr.comIsaiah 2:1-11 | 1 Thessalonians 2:13-20 | Luke 20:19-26they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their...
Nov 29, 2022 | Advent Blog 2022
Home > Advent Blog 2022 God Calling November 29, 2022 Isaiah 1:21-31 | 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 | Luke 20:9-18 Advent is a season of Hope, Peace, Light, and Love. And yet today’s readings are full of bad behavior, deceit, ill-treatment of others, and a general...
Nov 28, 2022 | Advent Blog 2022
Home > Advent Blog 2022 By what authority are you doing these things? November 28, 2022 Isaiah 1:10-20 | 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 | Luke 20:1-8 As we venture into Advent, the season of the church year where we prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus into the world...
Nov 27, 2022 | Advent Blog 2022
Home > Advent Blog 2022 “Making Ready” November 27, 2022 Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44I love trees… From the tallest, most majestic to the tiny saplings struggling to grow.This time of year the color has mostly faded from the leaves that dressed...
Apr 17, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Mary Magdalene and Easter at St Luke’s, Balm for my Soul April 17, 2022 Isaiah 65:17-25 | 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 | Acts 10:34-43 | John 20:1-18 or Luke 24:1-12 | Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24Eight years ago, when my husband and I decided to move to...
Apr 16, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 A test of faith indeed!April 16, 2022 Genesis 1:1-2:4a [The Story of Creation] | Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18, 8:6-18, 9:8-13 [The Flood] | Genesis 22:1-18 [Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac] | Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 [Israel’s deliverance...
Apr 15, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? April 15, 2022 Isaiah 52:13-53:12 | Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 | John 18:1-19:42 | Psalm 22My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?Psalm 22:1These words of anguish and...
Apr 14, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Unless I wash you, you have no share with me. April 14, 2022 Click photo to enlarge Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14 | 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 | John 13:1-17, 31b-35 | Psalm 116:1, 10-17It has been many years since I first set foot...
Apr 14, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 If we can love with this sense of humility, openness, and tenderness, what a world we might help to create!April 14, 2022 Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14 | 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 | John 13:1-17, 31b-35 | Psalm 116:1, 10-17Wow, what a rich...
Apr 13, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 “Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.” April 13, 2022 Isaiah 50:4-9a | Hebrews 12:1-3 | John 13:21-32 | Psalm 70These scripture readings were a bit of a struggle...
Apr 12, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 He can be my castle and stronghold. April 12, 2022 Isaiah 49:1-7 | 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 | John 12:20-36 | Psalm 71:1-14For a variety of reasons, I’ve been thinking a lot about shame recently. One reason is that Tim and I had the...
Apr 11, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Courage to Choose LoveApril 11, 2022 Isaiah 42:1-9 | Hebrews 9:11-15 | John 12:1-11 | Psalm 36:5-11 In today’s Gospel from John, we are invited to sit at the dinner table of Lazarus. Two of the prominent individuals at the dinner are Mary...
Apr 10, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Will You Walk with Jesus? April 10, 2022 The Liturgy of the PalmsLuke 19:28-40 | Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29The Liturgy of the WordIsaiah 50:4-9a | Philippians 2:5-11 | Luke 22:14-23:56 or Luke 23:1-49 | Psalm 31:9-16Sunday of the Passion – Palm...
Apr 9, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Mary? Mary Who? Which Mary? April 9, 2022 Ezekiel 37:21–28 | John 11:45–53 | Psalm 85:1–7 In my Irish Catholic family, I can count at least six immediate Aunt Marys: my Mom’s sister Aunt Mary Sommer, my Dad’s sister Aunt Mary Gumper, two of...
Apr 8, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 I Called upon the LORD in my distressApril 8, 2022 Jeremiah 20:7–13 | John 10:31–42 | Psalm 18:1–7Psalm 18:6-76 I called upon the Lord in my distress *and cried out to my God for help.7 He heard my voice from his heavenly dwelling; *my cry...
Apr 7, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Rocking Our Souls April 7, 2022 Genesis 17:1–8 | John 8:51–59 | Psalm 105:4–11Rock-a my soul in the bosom of Abraham,Rock-a my soul in the bosom of Abraham,Rock-a my soul in the bosom of Abraham,Oh, rock-a my soul!As memories are wont to...
Apr 6, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 “Let Him deliver us”April 6, 2022 Daniel 3:14–20,24–28 | John 8:31–42 | Canticle 13 These readings, at first glance, seem a little all over the place. They aren’t – but I’ll get to that in a minute. First, I have to say that the story of...
Apr 5, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Praise the Lord anyway. April 5, 2022 Numbers 21:4–9 | John 8:21–30 | Psalm 102:15–22“Let this be written for a future generationSo that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord”Sometime around the 9th – 5th century before Christ was even...
Apr 4, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 “I shall fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”April 4, 2022 Susanna [1–9,15–29,34–40],41-62 | John 8:1–11 or John 8:12–20 | Psalm 23The lessons from Susanna and John 8:1–11 are similar but provide...
Apr 3, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Once upon a time they lived happily ever after.April 3, 2022 Isaiah 43:16-21 | Philippians 3:4b-14 | John 12:1-8 | Psalm 126When I was an elementary counselor working in classrooms, I used puppets to tell and illustrate stories. At the...
Apr 2, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Living Water April 2, 2022 Jeremiah 11:18–20 | John 7:37–52| Psalm 7:6–11In John Chapter 7, Jesus cries out to the crowds at a festival, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes me drink. As the scripture has said,...
Apr 1, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 My heart is with the Ukrainian people.April 1, 2022 Wisdom 2:1a,12–24 | John 7:1–2,10,25–30 | Psalm 34:15–22I pondered today’s readings while digesting the latest news from Ukraine. I thought particularly of footage showing parents kissing...
Mar 31, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 God’s promise of love, forgiveness and renewal…March 31, 2022 Exodus 32:7–14 | John 5:30–47 | Psalm 106:6–7,19–23After reading the Exodus 32:7–14 lesson, I wondered for a few days as to what it all meant and if it made sense. At first...
Mar 30, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Loving God – Judging God March 30, 2022 Isaiah 49:8–15 | John 5:19–29 | Psalm 145:8–19I find the readings today to be in challenging juxtaposition. In Psalm 145, 8-19, we get a God who has our back. This God satisfies the needs of every...
Mar 29, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Stand up, take your mat and walk.March 29, 2022 Ezekiel 47:1–9,12 | John 5:1–18 | Psalm 46:1–8In today’s Gospel from John, Jesus encounters a man at the pool of Beth-zatha in Jerusalem who had been lame for 38 years. After Jesus asks him if...
Mar 28, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 I am about to create new heavens and a new earth. … I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. March 28, 2022 Isaiah 65:17–25 | John 4:43–54 | Psalm 30:1–6,11–13My initial response to today’s reading from...
Mar 27, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Hope restored.March 27, 2022 Joshua 5:9-12 | 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 | Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 | Psalm 32Psalm 32Beati quorum (Blessed are those)1 Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, and whose sin is put away!2 Happy are they to whom...
Mar 26, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to GodMarch 26, 2022 Hosea 6:1–6 | Luke 18:9–14 | Psalm 51:15–20I give you all of me, nothing do I hold back, of all my love is now yours.All of me now I surrender to your complete care.From what I no...
Mar 25, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Discover what we can do to help move God’s worldMarch 25, 2022 Isaiah 7:10-14 | Psalm 45 | or Psalm 40:5-10 | or Canticle 15 (or 3) | Hebrews 10:4-10 | Luke 1:26-38My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,my spirit rejoices in God my...
Mar 24, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 God’s grace and forgiveness is there for the asking. March 24, 2022 This command I gave them, “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; and walk only in the way that I command you, so that it may be well with you. ...
Mar 23, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Guidebook For The AgesMarch 23, 2022 Deuteronomy 4:1–2,5–9 | Matthew 5:17–19 | Psalm 78:1–6Recently I experienced many frustrations trying to locate sources that would help me solve some of my household problems in determining if the things...
Mar 22, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 We should remember to forgive as we are wanting to be forgiven. March 22, 2022 Song of the Three Young Men 2–4,11–20a | Matthew 18:21–35 | Psalm 25:3–10Peter came and said to Jesus, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against...
Mar 21, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 The Thirsty Soul: Psalm 42: 1-7March 21, 2022 2 Kings 5:1–15b | Luke 4:23–30 | Psalm 42:1–7As the deer longs for the water-brooks, so longs my soul for you, O God.’It is a beautiful, yet compelling image, this first verse of Psalm 42. One...
Mar 20, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Find him in our suffering and accept the love and grace he provides. March 20, 2022 Exodus 3:1-15 | 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 | Luke 13:1-9 | Psalm 63:1-8People who have suffered loss or trauma often refer to the event as having tested their...
Mar 19, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 To raise men of faith that will leave this world a better place. March 19, 2022 2 Samuel 7:4,8-16 | Romans 4:13-18 | Luke 2:41-52 | Psalm 89:1-29 or 89:1-4, 26-29As a mother, I often think about the incredible responsibility that Mary must...
Mar 18, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 What Did Jesus Say?March 18, 2022 Genesis 37:3–4,12–28 | Matthew 21:33–43 | Psalm 105:16–22Thank You, God, for the gift of Lent, a time for deep introspection. In these days of plague, insurrection, murder, and war, not to mention serious...
Mar 18, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Cornerstone March 18, 2022 Genesis 37:3–4,12–28 | Matthew 21:33–43 | Psalm 105:16–22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our...
Mar 17, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Our roots spread to all we touch and we bear fruit and prosper. March 17, 2022 Jeremiah 17:5–10 | Luke 16:19–31 | Psalm 1Jeremiah 17:5–10Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,whose trust is the Lord.They shall be like a tree planted by...
Mar 16, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Work with God as our partnerMarch 16, 2022 Jeremiah 18:1–11,18–20 | Matthew 20:17–28 | Psalm 31:9–16Lent is a time to reflect on what God needs of us. Loving God above all things is the basis of our faith. We should love and take care of our...
Mar 15, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Live humbly before Almighty God and He will bless your life. March 15, 2022 Isaiah 1:2–4,16–20 | Matthew 23:1–12 | Psalm 50:7-15,22-23Psalm 50:23We can offer to GOD our sacrifices:We make sacrifices, offerings, vows and pledges and as long...
Mar 14, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 I give my life freely to God. March 14, 2022 Daniel 9:3–10 | Luke 6:27–38 | Psalm 79:1–9The Gospel Luke 6:27-38 is one I am very familiar with in my spiritual journey because it is one I struggle with the most. In my life, I am often treated...
Mar 13, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 “How can I keep from singing?” March 13, 2022 Genesis 15:1-12,17-18 | Philippians 3:17-4:1 | Luke 13:31-35 | Psalm 27 Of all the readings assigned for this 2nd Sunday of Lent, the one & only thing that kept drawing me back was this...
Mar 12, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 “…pray for those who persecute you…” March 12, 2022 Deuteronomy 26:16–19 | Matthew 5:43–48 | Psalm 119:1–8Scripture Matthew 5:43-48 “…pray for those who persecute you…”How easy it is to pray for ourselves or for those who don’t persecute...
Mar 11, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 We should not be afraid of our shortcomings March 11, 2022 Ezekiel 18:21–28 | Matthew 5:20–26 | Psalm 130I am guilty of calling people fools. And worse. The readings set for today call to mind that “sin” (what one priest told me is “missing...
Mar 10, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Ask, search, and knock. March 10, 2022 Esther (Apocrypha) 14:1–6,12–14 | Matthew 7:7–12 | Psalm 138I imagine that we have all faced crises in our lives and floundered, flailed about, or sunk into some state of despair as we dealt with the...
Mar 9, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Running away March 9, 2022 Jonah 3:1–10 | Luke 11:29–32 | Psalm 51:11–18Scripture readings assigned for today focus on the story of Jonah. If you haven’t heard the story for a while, let me remind you…when the word of the Lord first came to...
Mar 8, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Moving forward, in tune with the music of God March 8, 2022 Isaiah 55:6–11 | Matthew 6:7–15 | Psalm 34:15–22When reading today’s scripture many words jumped out at me- seek, call, return, and God will do the rest. But as I thought I realized...
Mar 7, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Can you teach an old dog new tricks? March 7, 2022 Leviticus 19:1–2,11–18 | Matthew 25:31–46 | Psalm 19:7–14A not-so-easy read…Psalm 19:7–14Having read and re-read this psalm, I profess an utter inability to grasp its overall message at...
Mar 6, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 What did Jesus do for forty days? March 6, 2022 Deuteronomy 26:1-11 | Romans 10:8b-13 | Luke 4:1-13 | Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16What did Jesus do during his forty days in the wilderness? He had just been baptized and had been declared God’s son and...
Mar 5, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Spread the love of Jesus to others March 5, 2022 Isaiah 58:9b–14 | Luke 5:27–32 | Psalm 86:1–11Luke 5:27-32In this gospel reading, we learn of a tax collector for the Roman Empire named Levi. Jesus walks by Levi and tells him to follow Him....
Mar 4, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” March 4, 2022 Isaiah 58:1–9a | Matthew 9:10–17 | Psalm 51:1–10Where can I go this Lent to learn a lot more about mercy...
Mar 3, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 Preparing for the paths God will give us to walk in the year ahead. March 3, 2022 Deuteronomy 30:15–20 | Luke 9:18–25 | Psalm 1In the collect for this second day of Lent we ask our Lord to direct us in all we do, that our works may begin,...
Mar 2, 2022 | Lenten Blog 2022
Home > Lenten Blog 2022 I’ll take one giant slice of Humble Pie, please. March 2, 2022 Joel 2:1-2,12-17 or Isaiah 58:1-12 | 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 | Matthew 6:1-6,16-21 | Psalm 103 or 103:8-14As I read the Ash Wednesday lectionary for 2022, I couldn’t help but to...
Dec 25, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 Ponderings on Christmas Day December 25, 2021 Isaiah 62:6-12 | Titus 3:4-7 |Luke 2:(1-7)8-20 | Psalm 97 “…But Mary treasured all these words, and pondered them in her heart.” Luke’s lyrical account of the Birth of Jesus, and its reference...
Dec 24, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 Live fully into this love relationship with God. December 24, 2021 Isaiah 9:2-7 | Titus 2:11-14 | Luke 2:1-14(15-20) | Psalm 96 Today’s readings proclaim God’s gift of divine love that has been, is, and always will be with us. To start us...
Dec 23, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 “His Name is John” December 23, 2021 Psalm 25: 1-14 | Malachi 3:1-5 | Luke 1:57-66 A controversy. Elizabeth and then her husband Zechariah find themselves being challenged by some traditionalist priests over what to name their child. What’s...
Dec 22, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 Mary voices radical humility December 22, 2021 Psalm 113 or Psalm 122 | 1 Samuel 1:19-28 | Luke 1:46-56 As a chorister, I grew up singing the Magnificat, the song of Mary, whenever we did Evensong. I still sing it every Sunday at my church...
Dec 21, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 Love Story December 21, 2021 Psalm 33:1-5, 20-22 | Song of Solomon 2:8-14 | Luke 1:39-45 Don’t you love a great story? The men of Theology on Tap have been talking a lot about stories this past year. We’ve focused our attention on...
Dec 20, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 Notice the miracles in the smallest of changes. December 20, 2021 Psalm 24, Isaiah 7:10-14; Luke 1:26-38 “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” Psalm 24 proclaims the majesty and wonder of God and all His creation. I most...
Dec 19, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 Restore Us December 19, 2021 Micah 5:2-5a | Hebrews 10:5-10 | Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) |Canticle 15 (or 3) or Psalm 80:1-7 The birth of Christ brought a much-needed light into the world. Each year our collective Christmas tradition includes...
Dec 18, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 Fall Down on Your Knees. Fall Down on Your Knees. December 18, 2021 Psalm 25:1-14 | Malachi 3:1-5 | Luke 1:57-66 I’m going off script — my apologies for not writing about today’s Advent readings. Because I want to share with you...
Dec 17, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 Selah…Selah…Selah… Bask in God’s presence and love December 17, 2021 Psalm 67 | Isaiah 56:1-8 | John 5:33-36 Psalm 67 – Partial quote “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah” “Let the nations...
Dec 16, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” December 16, 2021 Psalm 30 | Isaiah 54:1-10 | Luke 7:24-30 In the season of Avent, we begin our liturgical year and look forward to the coming joy of Christmas. We celebrate...
Dec 15, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 The Work of Christmas December 15, 2021 Psalm 85:8-13 | Isaiah 45:5-8(9-17)18-25 | Luke 7:9-23 I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God but Me. Isaiah 45: 5 These words are a continuing refrain in the 45th chapter of...
Dec 14, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 Imagine a world without shame. December 14, 2021 Psalm 34:1-8 | Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13 | Matthew 21:28-32 Reading today’s Psalm, two sections jumped out at me. The first was line 5: “Look upon him and be radiant, and let not your faces be...
Dec 13, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 “You’re not the boss of me.” December 13, 2021 Psalm 25:3-8 | Numbers 24:2-7,15-17a | Matthew 21:23-27 When trying to find inspiration for this blog assignment I found these 3 lines that kept bugging me and I had to figure out why: And when...
Dec 12, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 “Is a puzzlement.” December 12, 2021 Zephaniah 3:14-20 | Philippians 4:4-7 | Luke 3:7-18 | Canticle 9 Usually I enjoy puzzles: word, number, logic, jigsaw, a good mystery. If I’m to be honest, I waste a lot of time solving them. But the...
Dec 11, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 “Happy are those who saw you and were adorned with your love!” December 11, 2021 Psalm 80:1-3,14-18, Sirach 48:1-11; Matthew 17:9-13 Well, gosh I want to be happy, I sure would like to be adorned with God’s love…how do I get me some of that?...
Dec 10, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 God will walk the path with you December 10, 2021 Isaiah 48:17-18 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you for your own good, who leads you in the way you should go. The above words...
Dec 9, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 Every one of us can be a Saint Nicholas December 9, 2021 Psalm 145:1-4,8-13, Isaiah 41:13-20; Matthew 11:7-15 Advent is the season during which we prepare for the coming of the Great King, the Holy One of Israel. And most of us are pretty...
Dec 8, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 I knew I was listened to, a sacred listening that required no actual words. December 8, 2021 Psalm 103:1-10 | Isaiah 40:25-31 | Matthew 11:28-30 Growing up, I was welcomed at the neighborhood Catholic church, or at least I felt I was,...
Dec 7, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 Maybe you are a shepherd. December 7, 2021 Psalm 50:7-15 | Amos 5:18-24 | Matthew 18:12-14 Here’s a familiar passage that most of us have heard many times- the story of the Good Shepherd. I’d like to bring it into a modern setting. A teacher...
Dec 6, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 God is with us. December 6, 2021 Psalm 85:8-13 | Isaiah 35:1-10 | Luke 5:17-26 I am humbled by the scriptures for today. Each one is a description of how God made his presence known to his people. And what a perfect Advent message. Emmanuel,...
Dec 5, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 Love is contagious. December 5, 2021 Baruch 5:1-9 | or Malachi 3:1-4 | Philippians 1:3-11 | Luke 3:1-6 | Canticle 4 or 16 Paul to the Philippians: And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full...
Dec 4, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 The goodness and majesty of God. December 4, 2021 Psalm 147:1-12 | Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26 | Matthew 9:35 — 10:1,5-8 As a teenager I often felt that many Bible readings were harsh and frightening. However, over time, I discovered inspiring...
Dec 3, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 “The deaf hear…” “The blind see…” December 3, 2021 Psalm 27:1-6, 17-18 | Isaiah 29:17-24 | Matthew 9:27-31 I turned 70 this past summer. And I’m still trying to wrap my mind around this reality. I find myself worrying about my memory. What...
Dec 2, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 Dad is my cornerstone. December 2, 2021 Psalm 118:19-24 | Isaiah 26:1-6 | Matthew 7:21-27 When I think about a cornerstone in my life, besides Christ, I would have to say that my Dad is my cornerstone. Dad was everything to me, and when he...
Dec 1, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 Psalm 23 – A Psalm of David “The Lord is my shepherd…” December 1, 2021 Psalm 23 | Isaiah 25:6-9 | Matthew 15:29-39 I like to think of things in context, I also like to research interesting words and know what the definition is in the...
Nov 30, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 There is a sense of hopefulness while we wait. November 30, 2021 Psalm 72:1-8 | Isaiah 11:1-10 | Luke 10:21-24 I look forward to Advent. Without fail, every year, I am eager for Advent to begin. It might be my favorite time of year. I like...
Nov 29, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 Living into “The Present House of God” November 29, 2021 Psalm 122: Song of Praise and Prayer for Jerusalem;Isaiah 2:1-5: The Future House of God;Matthew 8:5-13: Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant As I have done for over 20 years, I stepped...
Nov 28, 2021 | Advent Blog 2021
Home > Advent Blog 2021 There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars… November 28, 2021 Jeremiah 33:14-16 | 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 | Luke 21:25-36 | Psalm 25:1-9 It is the first Sunday in Advent. How are you feeling? This has been another year of...
Apr 4, 2021 | Lenten Blog
Home > Lenten Blog 2021 Experience the unimaginable April 4, 2021 Acts 10:34-43 or Isaiah 25:6-9 | 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 or Acts 10:34-43John 20:1-18 or Mark 16:1-8 | Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 This is the Lord’s doing,and it is marvellous in our eyes.– (Psalm...
Apr 3, 2021 | Lenten Blog
Home > Lenten Blog 2021 This Easter, a homecoming. April 3, 2021 This photo by unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA Genesis 1:1-2:4a [The Story of Creation] | Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18, 8:6-18, 9:8-13 [The Flood] | Genesis 22:1-18 [Abraham’s sacrifice of...
Apr 2, 2021 | Lenten Blog
Home > Lenten Blog 2021 Light through the Darkness April 2, 2021 Isaiah 52:13-53:12 |Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 | John 18:1-19:42 | Psalm 22 Growing up in an Irish/Catholic household, Good Friday was spent eating very little and being in church. I...
Apr 1, 2021 | Lenten Blog
Home > Lenten Blog 2021 “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” April 1, 2021 Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14 | 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 | John 13:1-17, 31b-35 | Psalm 116:1, 10-17 In reflecting on the story of Jesus washing his disciples’...
Mar 31, 2021 | Lenten Blog
Home > Lenten Blog 2021 The good things are ahead. March 31, 2021 Isaiah 50:4-9a | Hebrews 12:1-3 | John 13:21-32 | Psalm 70 In a recent sermon Rev. Tanya mentioned that profound things often come from the children. It reminded me of a question that was asked in...
Mar 30, 2021 | Lenten Blog
Home > Lenten Blog 2021 Become children of light March 30, 2021 Isaiah 49:1-7 | 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 | John 12:20-36 | Psalm 71:1-14 “Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you...
Mar 29, 2021 | Lenten Blog
Home > Lenten Blog 2021 Filled with hope and the light of Christ March 29, 2021 Isaiah 42:1-9 | Hebrews 9:11-15 | John 12:1-11 | Psalm 36:5-11 Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace. What...
Mar 28, 2021 | Lenten Blog
Home > Lenten Blog 2021 Two different worlds at once. March 28, 2021 Isaiah 50:4-9a | Philippians 2:5-11 | Mark 14:1-15:47 or Mark 15:1-39, [40-47] | Psalm 31:9-16 One of the most amazing and wondrous experiences of my life happened several years ago while hiking...
Mar 27, 2021 | Lenten Blog
Home > Lenten Blog 2021 God, Diana Ross and Caiaphas on Finding Home March 27, 2021 Ezekiel 37:21–28 | John 11:45–53 | Psalm 85:1–7 I first read the selections of readings for Saturday, the Fifth Week of Lent, a couple of weeks back. While procrastinating the...
Mar 26, 2021 | Lenten Blog
Home > Lenten Blog 2021 From jeremiad to joy March 26, 2021 Jeremiah 20:7-13 | John 10:31-42 | Psalm 18:1-7 How “down in the mouth” was Jeremiah, author of today’s first reading? So down, he inspired the modern word “jeremiad,” which means “a prolonged mournful...
