Sometimes you try to think of every possible thing to talk about because you don’t want to let the person on the other end of the phone go.
Viewing entries in
Worship
From time to time, I can be overheard saying the words “peace out.” This is simply a way of saying goodbye to someone who I am particularly familiar with and who knows my more playful side. It is both a light and sincere goodbye—see you later, and be well.
Have you ever looked into a mirror and thought, “Oh my, I look like my mother?”
Jesus didn’t just perform miracles to gain more viewers and get more likes on YouTube—he did them to point us to something much more important. These signs were meant to inform us of the ways in which we should be adjusting our behaviors.
After purposefully and goofily blending two words together, I said, “Is that even a real word?” To which someone responded, if it has a meaning, it’s a word.
I overheard a chiropractor say that sometimes people just need to be reset. This week, we are going to prepare for the journey through Lent as we reset our faith.
People say things like, “all good things in time,” or “good things come to those who wait.” You might have heard the well meaning answer to the lack of God’s response to your prayer: “It’s not a no; it is just not right now.” Well, none of these responses truly satisfy the Spirit like an actual answer to our longings. If we could learn the art of waiting, we could master faithful longevity.
We have spent the past couple of weeks talking about surrender and what it is and what it means. Now the question is, how do I do it? Let’s not wait for the storm to learn how to surrender. Let’s learn together now so we are prepared when that day comes.
Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness, and when we surrender to the will of God, that light shines in our hearts. It is no mystery then, that the same light that shines in our hearts touches those around us. Surrender is never just a personal decision.
We will never be able to fix a problem if we deny one even exists. If we cannot surrender to the truth, we cannot surrender to God. If we can’t surrender to God, we won’t be able to understand how sweet the truth can be.
Coming out of the Christmas holidays, a lot of us have received things that are shiny and new. With this newness comes excitement and joy. However, that excitement is oftentimes short-lived, and we find ourselves a month later looking for something new once again. The challenge for us, as we face a New Year, is not how to start the journey outright, but how to continue the journey faithfully.
We have spent all of advent preparing to receive Jesus Christ. Now, like his parents, we must prepare to let go. What does it look like to let go of something that has been a big part of your life, whether a good part or bad, in such a way that it blesses others?
Let your light shine. Let your spirit soar. Throw open your mind. Hand over your heart. Here it comes – love. It shines in the darkness. It sings in the shadows. It will not cower and cannot be contained.
It was the hope of the saints, the call of the prophets. It was the fire in the belly of the Baptist and the courage of Mother Mary. Lamp in the window, beacon on the hill, star in the night sky. Love, you lead us home.
Inclusive Gathering Birmingham
“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. It is a choice based on the knowledge that we belong to God and have found in God our refuge and our safety and that nothing, not even death, can take God away from us.”
– a quote from Henri Nouwen
The second Sunday of Advent is the Sunday of Peace. I am wondering if people are feeling peaceful these days. The challenge of peace in a chaotic world was also the challenge in the days of the prophet Isaiah. His cry is for God to bring comfort to God’s people. Isaiah’s prophetic voice rings loud and clear for us today. God did not send COVID-19 to test our faith or punish us. God did not send this disease to us. However, God is present in our midst. God has not withdrawn from us. If we are to find peace in this chaotic season, we must be that peace to all. And we might just find that peace as we engage in deeper relationships with one another and with God.
Mark’s Gospel reading for this first week of Advent says, “Keep awake.” Between the pandemic and economic, social, political, and religious turmoil, there are lots of reasons to stay awake. But is anyone really getting a good night’s sleep? Are we awake for all the wrong reasons? Do we keep alert for things that are out of our control? The Gospel challenges us to be on high alert, for God is still at work. This is our promised hope. We need to “keep awake” so we do not miss what God is doing in our lives and in the world.
2020 has been a year that we all might just want to forget. It has been a year of arguments, war, social inequities, racism, political unrest, violence, and disease. It has been a year of the unknown and making up answers as we go. And it has also been a year of new things, new opportunities to be the disciples we are called to be and hope. Together, people of God have sought hope during apparent darkness.
Through David’s Thanksgiving, we see what gratitude looks like and sounds like and how it moves, and we see how God uses it, channels it, and encourages it. We see how God looks into a heart swollen with gratitude and breathes possibility and opportunity and growth. We see David’s Thanksgiving in both 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles. It is repeated. It is emphasized. It’s echoed, because it is essential.
I know, you’ve heard this one a million times: Jesus’s parable about the talents. But it ain’t about money, and talent’s got nothin’ to do with it. It’s all about waiting and weight, and that dude Paul gets it straight. Join me at the mercy seat Sunday, and we’ll build each other up.
The message on Nov 8th is taken from Matthew 25:1-13. It is based on a parable, which is known by several names: The Parable of the Ten Virgins, The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, or The Parable of the Ten bridesmaids. As we will learn, maybe we should call it The Parable of the EMPTY TANK. Is your tank empty or full?