Braving The Waters

A prayer for the Tuesday of Holy Week Giving God as we get closer to the day Christ shared a last meal with his friends; remind us to be thankful for those we gather around the table with this week. Show us opportunities to invite new people to join us at the table Jesus prepared for all. Merciful God, as each step of this day takes us closer to Friday remind us of the steps Christ took with a heavy cross on his back. Give a chance to carry the burden of another so they might know Christ through our actions. As we move ever mindfully into Easter morning remind us that we are forgiven. Help us forgive those who because of your love deserve our forgiveness too. Have mercy on us O God, break into our lives and teach us to live in ways that are pleasing and acceptable to you. Amen.

Here are the last two paragraphs from my sermon yesterday. If you would like to read the rest of the sermon please contact me. “Holy Week, like the 40 days of Lent, forces us into deeper reflection about who we are as children of God, what we have done that has not been Christ like and where we might make changes. We don’t like to think for very long about Jesus on the cross. The longer we focus on him being on the cross the more we start to realize we likely would have been part of the crowd that put him there. We are part of the crowd who put him there; we might not know that we have shouted “crucify him” but because of our sinfulness as humans, we have and we continue to shout it even unconsciously. If I try to put myself into this story- I become torn, I want to be one of the ones waving the palm branch and shouting “Hosanna in the highest”. I want to be brave enough to pull my sword out when the guards come to arrest Jesus. I want to be better than Peter and not deny th...

God calls us to corporate worship but sometimes, like when the roads are covered in ice and snow it is better to stay home and be safe. You are invited to worship at home today with your family or on your own. A couple of items you can use if you’d like but are not required- a candle, a Bible, symbols of communion(whatever you have available-crackers and juice of some kind would be great- a slice of bread and water work well too-coffee and pastries, if you’re in a real pinch) Set your worship space, light the candle, turn in your Bible to Matthew 6:7-21 ******************************************************************************************************* Centering prayer O Holy One, be with present in this time of worship, safe in the confines of this home. Be with those traveling in conditions that raise anxiety. Hear the voices of your faithful this day. Amen. The scripture reading today comes from the Gospel of Matthew. Take a few minutes and read it aloud. Matth...

Some might say I am too young to know have experienced real heartache. Others might say I’m too sensitive and I need to toughen up. But those who know me best (you know who you are) might tell you that if you come into my life and you need love, I will passionately and enthusiastically give it to you. I love to the extreme and without measure and because of this often experience heartache. Obviously, different kinds of people receive different kinds of love from me but regardless of the kind of love you receive it will often be to the extremist of degrees. I don’t love the stranger who comes into my office needing gas money or groceries the same way that I love my family. I don’t love my family the same way I love my dog. You get the point. While I love fervidly and sometimes without much regard to my own well-being, my love is never lackadaisical or careless even if that sounds like a contradiction in terms. When another person’s heart or well-being are on the line, I try never ...

I don’t want to whine and complain. I don’t want to sound ungrateful for the rest I do get, because this statement of “I’m tired” is not really about my physical body being tired. While it is tired on occasion because I stay up too late and get up too early, this tiredness that I am feeling goes deeper, into the depths of my soul. So maybe I should say “my soul is tired” My soul tired of holding on. My soul is tired of constantly rearranging my life so that it works for others. My soul is tired of hearing that God has abandoned us. My soul is tired of seeing pain in the lives of those I love. My soul is tired of continually searching for a way to rest. Because I am aware that my soul is tired I am also aware that I am the only one who can find the rest I need for myself (physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually). So While my soul is tired of holding on- I seek to find healthy ways to let go. And while my soul is tired of rearranging my life- I work toward...

Over the past 10 years of pastoral ministry I have had the privilege to sit behind several Communion Tables. To preside at the Lord’s Supper is, I think, one of the most extraordinary things a minister can lead for her congregation. In lifting and break the bread and lifting and pouring the cup, reminding all who are gathered what Christ did for each of them, a minister is given the opportunity to look out into the heart of the congregation. In those moments after the Elders have distributed the trays to the Diaconate (in my tradition we pass trays filled with pieces of bread and cups of juice) I have been given the special opportunity to look everyone participating in worship. Over the years I have seen couples holding hands, children kneeling on the floor coloring a page from worship totes, mothers and grandmothers holding new babies, and others siting like statues eyes closed deep in prayer…or maybe they are asleep. I don’t watch the congregation in a creepy “I’m watching you” k...