Patience ain’t easy. Sometimes we are so looking forward to something, or maybe even just so looking FOR something, that our ability to wait is compromised. We just can’t do it. So we turn to something else.But as the old song reminds us: that

Enough is enough. Isn’t it?

Sep 10th, 2023

We quote this scripture a lot. We really do. Actually, we really don’t. What we do is take the very last verse, pick it out, forget its context, and let it make us feel all warm and fuzzy.But the truth is if we read the entire scripture it’s n

Taking the easy way out

Sep 3rd, 2023

Jesus’ warning to his disciples about the cost of discipleship isn’t about passively accepting the difficult things life hands us. Rather it’s about actively accepting our responsibility for loving sacrifice. In short, it’s about following Jesu

Walking on water… is a good start

Aug 13th, 2023

In this week’s Gospel reading, the disciples are out on a boat and Jesus, well, isn’t. A storm kicks up, and the disciples are afraid, and Jesus comes walking out towards them on the water.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t

Jul 9th, 2023

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus points out the way the Pharisees and the religious authorities can’t decide what they want in their prophets. While sometimes we see this as an either/or, which is the right way to be a follower of God, the trut

Welcome home!

Jul 2nd, 2023

An author once wrote that home is the place that, when you go there, they have to take you in. While that may be true, it sets a pretty low bar on the subject of hospitality!Jesus had a different idea of what it means to be welcoming. Let’s ta

Wash, rinse, repeat

Jun 4th, 2023

God: Parent, Son, and Holy Spirit. Three-in-one.The Trinity.We say that like it makes sense. Like it’s easy to explain. Obvious, even. And maybe we think that if we say it with enough confidence, no one will notice that the whole thing is kinda

I’ll have what they’re having!

May 28th, 2023

Pentecost, the birthday of the church. The day when the Holy Spirit visited the followers of Jesus with the touch of flame. As United Methodists, that flame, the flame of Pentecost, is embodied in our logo. This is a big deal to us.And so ever

Gotta see it to believe it

Apr 24th, 2022 26m 29s

This is the Sunday we reserve for the one we call “doubting Thomas.” Forgetting for the moment that all of the Disciples doubted when Jesus first appeared, what if Thomas isn’t really mired in doubt… but hope?Hope in the radical transformation

An expansive life

Apr 17th, 2022 26m 34s

Mary Magdalene, Joana, Mary the mother of James, and the other women go to the tomb with spices to tend to Jesus’ body. When they find the tomb empty and are stunned by the presence and words of the men in dazzling clothing, they remember. They

Even the stones cry out

Apr 10th, 2022 27m 6s

As Jesus enters Jerusalem, the multitude of disciples begins to joyfully shout with praise. The Pharisees try to silence them, but Jesus responds: “I tell you, even if these were silent, the stones would shout out” (Luke 19:40).All of creation

Brazen beauty

Apr 3rd, 2022 21m 27s

God is brazen in turning tears into joy.Not so long after their brother Lazarus dies and is raised from the dead, Mary and Martha joyfully welcome Jesus into their home. Mary pours out fragrant perfume (perhaps originally intended to anoint he

Prodigal grace

Mar 27th, 2022 25m 13s

The word “prodigal” is commonly used to describe the son who squanders his inheritance. Yet, this parable invites us to consider how God’s grace is also prodigal - extravagant, lavish, illogical. This parable disrupts and expands our definition

You are worthy

Mar 20th, 2022 23m 33s

Sometimes it seems like nothing we do goes according to plan. That might be one meeting, one hour, a whole day, a week, a year, or a season of life. It can seem like nothing goes the way we want it to go. And in those seasons, whatever their le

Under God’s wing

Mar 13th, 2022 24m 15s

God is our refuge. There is nothing that can separate you from God, or could keep God from gathering you in, protecting you fiercely. Jesus’ lament for Jerusalem is seemingly counter to how he is treated by Jerusalem. And yet, we receive grace

Even in the desert

Mar 6th, 2022 25m 8s

Even in the desert, Jesus expands our definitions of a full life. It’s not the life the Tempter presents: a life defined by excess power, control, or reign. Jesus sees beyond this facade and says, even in the midst of fasting, “One does not liv

It’s good to be here

Feb 27th, 2022 23m 2s

There are times in our faith journey when we are beset with doubt. There are times when we wonder, is it all true? Does God love me? Will God forgive me? We may even wonder, at times, is God even out there?But there are also moments when revel

Peaceful, but not passive

Feb 20th, 2022 23m 16s

Jesus invites us to… well, perhaps instructs us is a better term… Jesus instructs us to turn the other cheek, to give our shirt and not just our coat, to go the extra mile.But Jesus doesn’t require us to be pushovers.Jesus may require us to s

Leveling the playing field

Feb 13th, 2022 23m 49s

I’m not a fan of the Olympics. Despite the claim that the Olympics exist to foster a spirit of friendship, solidarity, and fair play, there is an unavoidable discrepancy between that idealistic goal, and the reality of the on-the-field competit

The Catch

Feb 6th, 2022 23m 38s

The Apostle Paul tells us that we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s desires for us. He’s right, and, c’mon, we all know it.In this weekend’s Gospel reading, Peter and his coworkers get the catch of a lifetime, and rather than celebrati

So THAT just happened

Jan 30th, 2022 24m 29s

Sometimes the strangest things happen. We rarely expect them, and we’re often caught off guard on how to handle them. But, really, we have two choices. However they got there, whyever these things happen, we can handle them, or we can let them

You can’t go home again

Jan 23rd, 2022 24m 50s

This weekend we’ll be talking about what is commonly known as “Jesus’ first sermon.” Fresh off his baptism, and the temptation in the wilderness, Jesus went home, to Nazareth. Maybe he was looking to recuperate from his wilderness ordeal in the