Prayer for the Week: There is so much more to the stories of faith than we might first believe. There is so much depth and contextual meaning that is not visible at first glance. There is so much beauty that is lost when we read it through the lens of pithy and empty religiosity that has co-opted following Jesus. O Holy One of the Universe, there is a
Scripture: Psalm 118:24 This is the day the LORD acted; we will rejoice and celebrate in it! Thought for the Day: It is Sunday, and this is the day the LORD acted. I believe most folks know this verse as the LORD made, but the Hebrew word can be translated in a dozen or so ways. At first, I didn’t like the word acted. The poetry didn’t feel
Scripture: 2nd Corinthians 3:18 All of us are looking with unveiled faces at the glory of the Lord as if we were looking in a mirror. We are being transformed into that same image from one degree of glory to the next degree of glory. This comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Thought for the Day: I have been reflecting on these words each day for
Scripture: Ephesians 6:15 …and put shoes on your feet so that you are ready to spread the good news of peace. Thought for the Day: Frederick Buechner is one of the great voices in Christianity, and he wrote, “Where your feet take you, that is who you are.” There are plenty of folks who will tell you who they are, but the path they travel appears to be
Scripture: 2nd Peter 3:17-18 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been warned in advance, be on guard so that you aren’t led off course into the error of sinful people, and lose your own safe position. Instead, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. To him belongs glory now and forever. Amen. Thought for the Day: In 2nd Peter, there is a
Scripture: Luke 6:22 Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Thought for the Day: Blessed? Really? This is just one of many examples we find in scripture, specifically the Gospels, where God’s blessing or favor is found to be upon those who find life hard and unfair. And this isn’t just
Scripture: Genesis 22:2 God said [to Abraham], “Take your son, your only son whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him up as an entirely burned offering there on one of the mountains that I will show you.” Thought for the Day: There are stories we can read and entirely miss the seismic contextual shift that is occurring. This story is one of
Prayer for the Week: In this season of vacations, we pray for true rest among those whose labors never appear to end. O God of the weak and weary, we recognize how there are too many in our world who do not know what it means to have a break. Abuse, slavery and human trafficking keep a group of human beings, young and old, working every day of
Scripture: 1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let’s love each other, because love is from God, and everyone who loves is born from God and knows God. Thought for the Day: Is it that simple? After one of the recent shootings that left multiple people dead, I saw someone online suggest that the only answer was for us to love one another. Such an answer is probably not going
Scripture: Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that it was said to those who lived long ago, Don’t commit murder, and all who commit murder will be in danger of judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with their brother or sister will be in danger of judgment… Thought for the Day: In his book, Rescuing the Bible From Fundamentalism, John Shelby Spong shocked many