Inside the Minds of Valerie and Mike (and Anna)
Musings for Maundy Thursday: In Jesus’ time, banquets were commonly structured on the form of Greco-Roman banquets, though did not necessarily include the debauchery. Upon arriving at a banquet, guests would be offered a bowl of water to wash their hands and a servant would wash the guest’s feet. Tonight’s first portion of the reading... Continue Reading →
It’s poetic and maybe a bit ironic that this year’s Palm Sunday and the third “No Kings” day fell on the same weekend. Makes me wonder if scheduling the latest “No Kings” day on the eve of Palm Sunday was intentional, that someone(s) on the planning committee would have understood the imagery and messaging of... Continue Reading →
John 9:1-41 There are four stories of healing physical blindness in the New Testament, two in Mark, one in Matthew, and this one in John. Not surprisingly, the story in John varies quite a bit from the others. In the first Mark story (8:22-26), an un-named man is brought to Jesus for healing by “some... Continue Reading →
John 4:(1-4) 5-42 At this year’s Extravaganza, a youth ministry conference hosted by the ELCA Youth Ministry Network, I participated in a day and half workshop titled “The Lay Preacher’s Primer: How to Craft a Faithful Sermon, led by Karoline Lewis, professor of Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary. This passage, the story of the Samarian... Continue Reading →
1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with that person.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell... Continue Reading →
We recently had the opportunity to spend time with friends at their little place in a small village in Pennsylvania. When the skies and the moon cooperate, it’s a pretty decent place to star gaze, at least compared to where we live in the suburbs. And even though the moon was full, it didn’t rise... Continue Reading →
Due to some unusual circumstances and given that I was already prepping a children’s sermon, I was asked if I would lead worship using the Service of the Word liturgy. The invitation also included the note that a sermon was not expect on such short notice…24 hours. It was enough to consider how to adjust... Continue Reading →
The world seems to be tilting in the wrong direction these days. There's a lot, too much, to process. What is laying heavy on your heart? Something on this list, or something else? The list is unfortunately not all inclusive. How are you lessening the heaviness? That list is also not all inclusive. Being in... Continue Reading →
In a clearing, in the woods, at the edge of a mountain, sits a little house. The living space stretches to the porch, the patio, the stone walls, and the yard beyond. A sign for a local church on the street marks where to turn, from there, find the gravel lane, its curves concealing the... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year I wrote a piece reflecting on my first semester of seminary and at one point I mentioned about the unexpected “church crisis”. In part the result of the sudden concentration of church history, biblical studies, and theology, a disconnect started emerging for me. The disconnect centers on the tension between the church... Continue Reading →
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