Dec 12, 2021 |
Living into our baptismal covenant
| The Rev. Joyce Keeshin
Living into our baptismal covenant
"To the tax collectors who asked the same question, he says, collect no more than the amount prescribed for you. And to the soldiers who ask He says, do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusations; be satisfied with your wages. In other words, John is responding share what you have, share what you have with those in need. Be fair in your business dealings. Be honest. Do not misuse your power. And John's guidance is not about some abstract concept or some religious discipline or some complex construct of laws. John's guidance is not about big gestures, the bold dramatic actions. It's guidance for folks in the crowd from different walks of life, for people like you and me. It's guidance to care for each other to act with fairness, justice, and honesty in all that we do. Sounds a lot like our baptismal covenant in many ways. John is giving the simplest examples of the actions, reflective of our commandments to love God and our neighbors as ourselves.
John the Baptist urges us to shift our focus from it all being about us to, it's not all about us. It's not so important that we have stuff, it's what we do with it, it's how we share it. It's not so important that we have power, it’s how we handle it. It's how we restrain ourselves. How we act ethically with it. It's important that our stories in our lives are not strictly about our lives, but about all the lives around us..."
John the Baptist urges us to shift our focus from it all being about us to, it's not all about us. It's not so important that we have stuff, it's what we do with it, it's how we share it. It's not so important that we have power, it’s how we handle it. It's how we restrain ourselves. How we act ethically with it. It's important that our stories in our lives are not strictly about our lives, but about all the lives around us..."
Dec 05, 2021 |
Already Here
| The Rev. Philip DeVaul
Already Here
I want to be clear, I don't actually have a problem with New
Year's resolutions. I think they're great if they work for you and if they
don't, that's also fine. Some of us, we're going to actually try to do things
to make ourselves better and some of us are just going to be like, yeah, that’s
just not going to happen. I just want to say that this text is for you, because
the presence of God that John the Baptist is proclaiming, is not actually about
you, it's about God. It's not about you making it happen. At first, it sounds
like that because he says prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight.
And you're like, ah, good, I needed some duties. Thank you for giving me some
clear concrete steps that I'll avoid. But then we start to think if I don't
make the world exactly what it's supposed to be, God's not going to show up.
We begin to think that it's on us to improve ourselves and improve this world
or else this won't be the kind of world that Jesus wants any part of.
Like, somehow, we have to make ourselves our hearts, our souls, our lives, our communities, perfect or else God will not love us. But we know the story of Jesus, right? Like when he shows up, does he show up and go, oh man, you guys have been preparing such a great way for me, thank you so much. And everyone's like, see the road we made it straight for you. Is that what happens or does Jesus show up into an absolute bloody mess? Jesus shows up into deeply complicated lives and impossible situations, into the uncertainty of occupied Israel in a place where everything is falling apart. That's where Jesus shows up. And the prophets tell us this, both John the Baptist, and Isaiah, whom he quotes. Every valley shall be filled in every mountain and hill shall be made low; we heard it in our reading from Baruch as well today. And guess who does the leveling out? Guess who makes things just in this world. You? No, God. Guess who is at work to make love apparent, manifest, obvious, clear in this world, God.
Like, somehow, we have to make ourselves our hearts, our souls, our lives, our communities, perfect or else God will not love us. But we know the story of Jesus, right? Like when he shows up, does he show up and go, oh man, you guys have been preparing such a great way for me, thank you so much. And everyone's like, see the road we made it straight for you. Is that what happens or does Jesus show up into an absolute bloody mess? Jesus shows up into deeply complicated lives and impossible situations, into the uncertainty of occupied Israel in a place where everything is falling apart. That's where Jesus shows up. And the prophets tell us this, both John the Baptist, and Isaiah, whom he quotes. Every valley shall be filled in every mountain and hill shall be made low; we heard it in our reading from Baruch as well today. And guess who does the leveling out? Guess who makes things just in this world. You? No, God. Guess who is at work to make love apparent, manifest, obvious, clear in this world, God.
Nov 28, 2021 |
Why Wait?
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. Slane
Why Wait?
Why wait? I mean really, why wait? I saw a six-foot-tall
statue of Santa Claus, all decked out in crushed red velvet and a bell encrusted
cap before Halloween. We don't want to wait. Waiting
makes us uncomfortable. And I don't know why, but for some reason, right around
this time of year, we all revert to our toddler brain where we've got to have
it right now. Not in two minutes right now. I mean, why would I wait for my
groceries to be delivered in more than two hours when Amazon can do that for me?
Waiting has always been uncomfortable for people and waiting in an age of
instant gratification, well, that is almost unbearable.
Our reading for today asks us to lean into that discomfort. To embrace the Advent of the present age to sit in the discomfort and chaos and mess and see that the thing we are waiting for is already here. The Gospel lesson that we hear this morning positions us perfectly in a place of waiting that we don't want to be in. We don't want to be there in the fear and confusion and distress. The end of the world as we know it? The sea is roaring, the heavens are shaking, and I don't know about you, but the whole thing is so overwhelming. I'd rather just be unconscious for the whole ordeal. Apocalypse? No thanks. Armageddon? Come again? No, I'll take that little, tiny baby wrapped up like a burrito with all those little animals around and angels singing Silent Night. While stars glimmer in the sky shooting to and fro, Is Jesus here yet? Is it Christmas? Can we get it on the road?
Our reading for today asks us to lean into that discomfort. To embrace the Advent of the present age to sit in the discomfort and chaos and mess and see that the thing we are waiting for is already here. The Gospel lesson that we hear this morning positions us perfectly in a place of waiting that we don't want to be in. We don't want to be there in the fear and confusion and distress. The end of the world as we know it? The sea is roaring, the heavens are shaking, and I don't know about you, but the whole thing is so overwhelming. I'd rather just be unconscious for the whole ordeal. Apocalypse? No thanks. Armageddon? Come again? No, I'll take that little, tiny baby wrapped up like a burrito with all those little animals around and angels singing Silent Night. While stars glimmer in the sky shooting to and fro, Is Jesus here yet? Is it Christmas? Can we get it on the road?
Nov 23, 2021 |
Pilate washes his hands, not Jesus
| The Rev. Philip DeVaul
Pilate washes his hands, not Jesus
"If we are serious about following Jesus, we will become
radicalized too. Dr. King spoke about this a lot, being a radical for love, a
love warrior and this is essential. It's
so dangerous to say our place is in heaven. Our citizenship is in heaven and
our primary belonging is to God because Jesus is our Lord, not Caesar or Trump
or Biden, but Jesus, the danger in that is that we have the capacity then to say,
so really, I don't need to be involved with what happens here in this world.
Politics doesn't matter. I love when people tell me that Christianity has
nothing to do with politics, Jesus, they're telling me, has no opinion or place
in what is happening in the world today.
Do you believe that? Do you believe that Jesus has no place in how we live our lives in real time? Is Jesus just the abstract? The nice, pleasant chap that we pray to so that we can go to the right place when we die? Or is Jesus alive and living and working in this world for healing and reconciliation? Is Jesus inviting you and me as Christians to participate in the healing, in the reconciliation of this world? Jesus says this isn't my kingdom but then he doesn't just disappear and escape death. Right? This isn't my kingdom, good point, Pilate, I'm out, right? Pilate's the one who washes his hands, not Jesus. Jesus recognizes the disconnect between our world and the kingdom of God, and then stays, stays engaged, stays connected, dies even for us."
Do you believe that? Do you believe that Jesus has no place in how we live our lives in real time? Is Jesus just the abstract? The nice, pleasant chap that we pray to so that we can go to the right place when we die? Or is Jesus alive and living and working in this world for healing and reconciliation? Is Jesus inviting you and me as Christians to participate in the healing, in the reconciliation of this world? Jesus says this isn't my kingdom but then he doesn't just disappear and escape death. Right? This isn't my kingdom, good point, Pilate, I'm out, right? Pilate's the one who washes his hands, not Jesus. Jesus recognizes the disconnect between our world and the kingdom of God, and then stays, stays engaged, stays connected, dies even for us."
Nov 21, 2021 |
Jesus is the Word
| The Rev. Gary Lubin
Jesus is the Word
Now Messiah means as we, many of us know the anointed one in
great, the Christ or king, I guess I prefer sovereign if you will. So, they
have an interesting conversation. Pilate asked Jesus, are you the king of the
Jews and Jesus so artfully deflects; my kingdom is not from this world. Then Pilate
jumps on that asking, so you are a king? Now everyone is listening very intently. The
reason for the somber reading today is because of what Jesus says next. He kind
of like comes out. He declares publicly to the entire world what he previously
only shared with his disciples. Jesus says, you say that I am king for this, I
was born for this. I came into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone who
belongs to the truth, listens to my voice. Well, Pilate continues to be a great
straight man. He asks Jesus that classic question, which is one of my favorites
in the Bible. What is truth? It's not in today's reading because I think the
folks that developed the lectionary wanted Jesus to have the last word, but he
just stands there.
Jesus just stands there. So, Jesus, how can we listen to your voice. If you stand there in stark silence and say nothing? Jesus's getting the last word by saying absolutely nothing. Saying nothing sometimes says the most. Emily Dickinson said that.
Jesus just stands there. Can you get your head around that? In silence, God, in silence waits. And that is because Jesus, The person; Jesus, is the Word, is the Truth.
Jesus just stands there. So, Jesus, how can we listen to your voice. If you stand there in stark silence and say nothing? Jesus's getting the last word by saying absolutely nothing. Saying nothing sometimes says the most. Emily Dickinson said that.
Jesus just stands there. Can you get your head around that? In silence, God, in silence waits. And that is because Jesus, The person; Jesus, is the Word, is the Truth.
Nov 14, 2021 |
End Times
| The Rev. Joyce Keeshin
End Times
"The gospel is very apocalyptic today…It's talking about
destruction. It's talking about signs of the end times… thinking of those
topics immediately took me back to one of a very clear memory of when I was in
second grade, and there had been a widespread prediction that the world was
coming to an end… I felt very scared and very alone. And I’d lie awake with my heart
pounding, wanting to see; would tomorrow come? Well, obviously tomorrow did
come, but I think that was my first taste of some of the predictions that we
encounter over and over in our culture.
There are voices that will say, okay, this is a sign of the end times. This is a sign that we have been waiting for. This is a sign of destruction. And as Christians, we have a different view of that. We have a view of God's kingdom. We have a view of the promise that may accompany this, but still, we see these words of destruction and it's very, very sobering… Through Jesus we understand God's kingdom as not some distant vision, but something our divine creator continues to bring forth in our lives, even now. Even in the darkest moments, something is waiting to come forth, bringing new life."
There are voices that will say, okay, this is a sign of the end times. This is a sign that we have been waiting for. This is a sign of destruction. And as Christians, we have a different view of that. We have a view of God's kingdom. We have a view of the promise that may accompany this, but still, we see these words of destruction and it's very, very sobering… Through Jesus we understand God's kingdom as not some distant vision, but something our divine creator continues to bring forth in our lives, even now. Even in the darkest moments, something is waiting to come forth, bringing new life."
Nov 07, 2021 |
Jesus cries too
| The Rev. Philip DeVaul
Jesus cries too
This is one of those scenarios where, when I read the words
of the people who are skeptical, I like to distance myself from them and
pretend that they're the ones that are faithless, not me. I know what Jesus
will do. Not me. I know the power of God. And yet, when those who are skeptical
look at each other and say, this guy healed the blind, why couldn't he have
helped Lazarus? There is something so true in their skepticism. And this is not
new either for the church in the very first century of the Christian Church,
the first communities of people who call themselves Christian, who followed
Jesus. One of their primary concerns was, hey, wait a minute you said, if we
believed in this guy, we would have eternal life and people keep dying. What's
the deal? And it's a fair question...
Jesus doesn't explain why it happens, instead what Jesus does is cry too. In the story today, when the people are deeply troubled in their spirits when they grieve, Jesus grieves. And when the people cry, Jesus cries; weeps. I was so confused about that when I was growing up, I thought he knows what's going to happen next, why is he crying? Now I get it. He's crying because it's sad when people die. He's crying because when our friends and those we love suffer, we suffer too, and that's not wrong.
Jesus doesn't explain why it happens, instead what Jesus does is cry too. In the story today, when the people are deeply troubled in their spirits when they grieve, Jesus grieves. And when the people cry, Jesus cries; weeps. I was so confused about that when I was growing up, I thought he knows what's going to happen next, why is he crying? Now I get it. He's crying because it's sad when people die. He's crying because when our friends and those we love suffer, we suffer too, and that's not wrong.
Oct 31, 2021 |
Hocus Pocus
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. Slane
Hocus Pocus
Allow me to shed some light on a spooky Halloween phrase
that has been deeply misunderstood. You all have heard the term Hocus Pocus,
right? Hocus Pocus. The phrase is most commonly associated with magic
and witches and bubbling cauldrons filled with mysterious liquids, right? Did
you know that this phrase Hocus Pocus is actually just a misunderstood
pronunciation of our Eucharistic prayer?
Allow me to explain. Hundreds of years ago and still in some places today, when the mass of our liturgy was set exclusively in Latin, the priest would go to the prayer and say, hoc est corpus meum, meaning this is my body hoc est corpus meum. And the wonder and unexplainable nature of transubstantiation, of turning bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. It led so many people to associate this prayer with something magical happening. And then the people who didn't experience it, but had heard about it said, oh, that's those words they say, when they do that magic. Hocus Pocus. After all something magical and transcendent was happening in that moment, something they did not fully understand, something we don't fully understand.
And years later, as it goes, it came to be associated with a phrase that reminds us of witches and dark magic. And misunderstanding gave way to fear of the unknown. But we who know the true meaning of this phrase, we know that its meaning and its intention is actually an act of love, not something to be feared, but something to be exalted and it might seem a little strange to be talking about fear on a day when the gospel reading is all about love, but actually I find it the most appropriate time to talk about fear because fear is actually the opposite of love. Most people think it's hate, but hate is just a symptom of fear.
Allow me to explain. Hundreds of years ago and still in some places today, when the mass of our liturgy was set exclusively in Latin, the priest would go to the prayer and say, hoc est corpus meum, meaning this is my body hoc est corpus meum. And the wonder and unexplainable nature of transubstantiation, of turning bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. It led so many people to associate this prayer with something magical happening. And then the people who didn't experience it, but had heard about it said, oh, that's those words they say, when they do that magic. Hocus Pocus. After all something magical and transcendent was happening in that moment, something they did not fully understand, something we don't fully understand.
And years later, as it goes, it came to be associated with a phrase that reminds us of witches and dark magic. And misunderstanding gave way to fear of the unknown. But we who know the true meaning of this phrase, we know that its meaning and its intention is actually an act of love, not something to be feared, but something to be exalted and it might seem a little strange to be talking about fear on a day when the gospel reading is all about love, but actually I find it the most appropriate time to talk about fear because fear is actually the opposite of love. Most people think it's hate, but hate is just a symptom of fear.
Oct 24, 2021 |
Jesus, Help Me!
| The Rev. Philip DeVaul
Jesus, Help Me!
"We worship self-reliance. We adore the idea of a
person who doesn't need anything. And we, in our own lives strive to be people
who don't need anything from others. Despite the fact that this is a complete
impossibility. We are built for one another. We are created as people in
relationship. And while we may have fleeting moments of independence and self-reliance, even those are, but shadows
that mask the true reality of our total and utter inter-dependence. That we
belong to one another, and that we need one another for life. We need one another
so that we can live in a way that actually means anything at all.
Bartimaeus is an obvious case. They've set it up perfectly. He's blind and in his society, in his time, this means that he really can't contribute to the workforce. Which makes him useless, according to probably us, if we're being honest. And so, he just sits there, not being able to see, not being able to do for himself and begging for food, for help, for whatever comes his way. And I think it's important for us to stop right there and acknowledge in our hearts, whether we want to admit it or not, how shameful we find people who need and how deeply we desire, never to need, like that.
Bartimaeus doesn't feel shame. Bartimaeus is not embarrassed about the fact that he needs. It's one of the things he understands deeply in his heart; that he needs help. And so, he shouts out help me when he hears that this Jesus who heals people is nearby. He knows he needs healing. He shouts out Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! And the people around him, instead of saying, yeah, someone should help Bartimaeus, that’s a great idea. They go, shhh, don't embarrass yourself, and us."
Bartimaeus is an obvious case. They've set it up perfectly. He's blind and in his society, in his time, this means that he really can't contribute to the workforce. Which makes him useless, according to probably us, if we're being honest. And so, he just sits there, not being able to see, not being able to do for himself and begging for food, for help, for whatever comes his way. And I think it's important for us to stop right there and acknowledge in our hearts, whether we want to admit it or not, how shameful we find people who need and how deeply we desire, never to need, like that.
Bartimaeus doesn't feel shame. Bartimaeus is not embarrassed about the fact that he needs. It's one of the things he understands deeply in his heart; that he needs help. And so, he shouts out help me when he hears that this Jesus who heals people is nearby. He knows he needs healing. He shouts out Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! And the people around him, instead of saying, yeah, someone should help Bartimaeus, that’s a great idea. They go, shhh, don't embarrass yourself, and us."
Oct 17, 2021 |
What do we ask of Jesus and what does Jesus ask of us?
| The Rev. Joyce Keeshin
What do we ask of Jesus and what does Jesus ask of us?
So what do we ask of Jesus, and what does Jesus ask of us? Our gospel from Mark begins with James and John, the sons of Zebedee coming forward to Jesus and saying to him teacher, we want you to do for us, whatever we ask of you. It's kind of hard to get past that opening gambit. ..We might find ourselves in such a scenario as James and John are setting up with Jesus, but likely not too often, we learn, because the very framing of the statement to agree to whatever is asked before, knowing what is a sure sign that it may not be something we would readily agree to. And in all honesty, we may not just be on the receiving end of that. We may have done that to some other folks along the way, either in our youth or our adulthood, or even yesterday. We may pose that same question to people because we are very human and we can be pretty wily at times and Jesus is clearly wise to this. He responds with neither a yes nor a no, but simply asks James and John, the question, “What is it you want me to do for you?” James and John respond immediately, “Grant us to sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your glory.” What are these two disciples thinking?.. Have they lost sight of their ministry? James and John have witnessed so many miracles of Jesus, Jesus healing, the incurable, the feeding of thousands. Jesus walking on water. James and John were present with Peter at the transfiguration and witnessed Jesus in dazzling white with Elijah and Moses and heard the voice from the cloud.
Oct 10, 2021 |
Heaven is a life shared
| The Rev. Philip DeVaul
Heaven is a life shared
Every time Jesus says follow me, he is not saying, “Hey, let's you and me go for a one on one walk, so that I can teach you how you can go to heaven.” Every time Jesus says follow me, he is inviting people into a community that is already begun and is growing and is drawing from the Holy Spirit to be filled with the love of God and participate with Jesus in the healing of the world. Follow me is not an individual command, but an invitation into a life shared not only with God but with one another. Follow me is a thing that Jesus says so that we will recognize that if we go with Jesus, we will be drawn outside of ourselves, outside of our own fears, outside of our own false security and into real life, love and relationship with the God made us.
Oct 03, 2021 |
Humans Are Meant to be Together
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. Slane
Humans Are Meant to be Together
Some Pharisees come to test Jesus and they asked, is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? And Jesus basically says, sure, it's aloud. But from the very beginning of creation, from the very beginning way back in Genesis, people we're meant we're made to be together. Separating them in any way is going to be a very, very painful experience. And in Jesus' time, it was almost always the most painful for the woman, because the patriarchy made sure that a woman could barely survive without a man to provide for her the basic necessities of life. Now we are in a lot of ways in a very, very different time, but divorce is still a painful experience. And it's usually still the most painful for the most vulnerable one...Jesus is reminding us today that when we separate ourselves from other people, be it through divorce or racism or classism or sexism or any of the other isms: When we separate ourselves from other people for any reason, we are not living the way that God intended for us to live, which is in harmony.
Sep 26, 2021 |
Being the Salt of the Earth
| The Rev. Philip DeVaul
Being the Salt of the Earth
Should we stop people who are outside of our understanding from bringing blessing and love into the world in Jesus' name and Jesus' response is, if you do that, you may as well go to hell. That's what Jesus says. That's what that whole second section of the gospel is about. When we get in the way of other people sharing the blessing, we are bringing hell to earth. When we get in the way of other people making the world more like God would have it because they're doing it in a way we don't understand, we are marring our own body: the body of Christ. We are cutting ourselves up. We are burning and bringing the fire here and we know how to do that, don't we? I know how to do that. I know how to confine my life so that it looks just enough like I want it to so that I can say, it's going okay. I can see love here and I can shut out love when it doesn't look like what I'd like it to, which really just means I can shut love out when it's going to push me and make me uncomfortable and challenge me and make me into something I wasn't expecting. This is exactly what Jesus does in our lives time and time again. Jesus pushes us to recognize God's blessing and power in places and in people we could never have imagined.
Sep 19, 2021 |
What really makes you the GOAT? (Greatest of All Time)
| The Rev. Joyce Keeshin
What really makes you the GOAT? (Greatest of All Time)
" We readily talk about who is the greatest. We want to know them or name them. Our culture is attuned to that, to power and influence, to excelling. There's nothing inherently wrong with wanting to do our best, to encourage others, to excel, to use the gifts that we have. But in Bible study, the conversation immediately hit on the sports world and our longing to name or witness the prowess of the greatest of all our sports stars, the greatest of all time. Be it baseball, football, basketball, gymnastics, swimming, tennis...It's not the awards and the recognition, it’s how you
encourage others. It's not about accomplishments, it’s about humility and faith
and service to others. No one could be more worthy of the awards and
recognitions and accolades this man received. But for him, it was never ever
about any of that. It was always about service, about lifting up others to help
them create better lives for themselves and for the generations to come."
Sep 12, 2021 |
Get Behind Me Satan
| The Rev. Philip DeVaul
Get Behind Me Satan
“ When we look at the people around us and we read about how
we're supposed to love everybody. And then we look at the people around us when
we hear Satan say, I mean everybody, but THAT person, we're not going to love
them. Or, I could love them if they would just think like I think. I would love them. I could love everybody if
they just got vaccinated. I could love
everybody if they would just get on board with how I am, to which Jesus himself
says, ‘Get behind me Satan.’ You are thinking about the world on your terms and
not on God's terms. And this is so important. Not only that Jesus says that you
are thinking about things on worldly terms and not on God's terms, because we
know that we do that. But what Jesus says about it; he calls us Satan, or he
recognizes Satan in our midst, and we got to hear that. We got to hear that we
are capable of being adversaries to God's will, to God's work in the world. We
have to see it, but also, we have to recognize that Jesus is saying, ‘get
behind me’, not get away from me, not go away forever, or be banished. Jesus
tells his disciple who has gotten out of line and says, do things my way,
Jesus. No, you get behind me, from
behind Jesus, You can follow. "
Sep 06, 2021 |
What really makes you the GOAT? (Greatest of All Time)
| The Rev. Joyce Keeshin
What really makes you the GOAT? (Greatest of All Time)
" We readily talk about who is the greatest. We want to know them or name them. Our culture is attuned to that, to power and influence, to excelling. There's nothing inherently wrong with wanting to do our best, to encourage others, to excel, to use the gifts that we have. But in Bible study, the conversation immediately hit on the sports world and our longing to name or witness the prowess of the greatest of all our sports stars, the greatest of all time. Be it baseball, football, basketball, gymnastics, swimming, tennis.... It's not the awards and the recognition, it’s how you
encourage others. It's not about accomplishments, it’s about humility and faith
and service to others. No one could be more worthy of the awards and
recognitions and accolades this man received. But for him, it was never ever
about any of that. It was always about service, about lifting up others to help
them create better lives for themselves and for the generations to come. "
Sep 05, 2021 |
Who is Jesus in the Real World?
| The Rev. Philip DeVaul
Who is Jesus in the Real World?
"Jesus wasn't a rich person who decided to like poor people. He was poor. Jesus was not a person in the middle of society who chose to hang out with the people who are marginalized. Jesus was marginalized. Jesus was not a person in the middle of great privilege and wealth who just decided that it was cool to hang out with people who were on the edges of society. Jesus belonged on the edge of society... Last year we did a book study by Howard Thurman and the book was called Jesus and the Disinherited. It was the second time I'd read the book and apparently the first time I'd read it, I still hadn't figured it out. It took me until the second time and it's in the very first chapter of the book. Howard Thurman says, 'Jesus, isn't hanging out among the disinherited of the world. Jesus is the disinherited of the world.'"
Aug 29, 2021 |
Beauty and Love Endure
| The Rev. Joyce Keeshin
Beauty and Love Endure
"Amid heartbreak there is light and love and deepest gratitude for the most precious earthly time we have. Whether it's at the time when life is ending. Or at the time life is beginning. Or at that unknown period in between. That gratitude for the life and the love that is at hand. Beauty and Love endure. So yes, there are evil forces in our world and evil thoughts and intentions born of pain, brokenness, separation from God and each other. There are those things that we can find in our own heart. There are those things. But let us bravely discern whenever we suspect evil, whenever we confront evil. Let us bravely encounter it. And especially when it's within us, let us call it out and let it go. Let us pray: Deliver us from evil. And also pray: Deliver the evil from us. Because it is only with God's help that we can find our way."
Aug 22, 2021 |
Talking About Evil
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. Slane
Talking About Evil
"We often avoid talking about the armor of God because it sounds just a little too militant. We rarely sing, “Onward Christian Soldiers” or “Stand up, stand up for Jesus” because they arouse this ugly association with a Crusader mentality. We don't talk like that anymore because it forces us to own the horrors done on our behalf, by faithful followers who obliterated our brothers and sisters of Abraham in Medieval Times; who annihilated native peoples in this land in the name of discovery; who enslaved our siblings of color and who denigrate them still. We don't acknowledge the discomfort of the association because we prefer to focus on the nice pretty parts instead. Instead of saying no. Being a Christian soldier is not about destruction. It's about life."
Aug 15, 2021 |
Make the Most of Our Time
| The Rev. Philip DeVaul
Make the Most of Our Time
"To eat the flesh and to drink the blood of Jesus is language that helps us to understand our very nourishment. How we feed ourselves in our daily lives is meant to be centered in Jesus, in the God of love. Our very food and drink is love. Any wisdom we can get, it’s not by reading something or by going to all the right places. It is about constructing, building lives that are nourished, fed, the bread and wine of true and real unconditional love. How do we build our lives around the love that is unending? How do we make the most of our time? How do we make our life rooted and grounded in the love that creates all things?"
