Isaiah 58:1-12; Ps. 51:1-17; 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10; Matt. 6:1-6,16-21 If someone were to ask me what day this is I’d have two answers. One answer I could give is the reason we’re here this evening: Ash Wednesday. The other answer I might give: It’s my wife’s birthday! Trick question: If I were to ask you how old she is, what would you say? If you were here on Sunday you’d probably know to say “50.” And that’s true. But it’s not the whole truth. I’ll say more about that in a … [Read more...]
What Will You Settle For?
Exodus 24:12-18; Psalm 2; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9 This coming Wednesday marks the beginning of the forty days before Easter. It’s the season of Lent. Today we already get hints of that season. In today’s first reading Moses climbs to the top of a mountain for forty days to discern God’s will. This is what Lent is all about: taking forty days to look for signs of God’s presence, to think about what God is doing in our lives, and how that might lead us to change the way we think and … [Read more...]
It’s Okay to Leave Home
Some of us this past week saw an outstanding TV program called, “The Amish.” I was born in Iowa near an Amish community called the Amana Colonies. From an early age I was fascinated by these men with the long beards and straw hats, the women with their long “pioneer” dresses and hats. It was always an event to see horse-drawn buggies on the roads of eastern Iowa. When young Amish people reach adulthood they decide whether or not to be baptized. For the Amish, being baptized means deciding to … [Read more...]
The Geography of Bliss
Isaiah 49:8-16a; Psalm 131; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Matthew 6:24-34 Seems like everywhere I turn these days people are talking about happiness. This past week, for example, I was reading a book called The Geography of Bliss. It’s about the journey of a writer who’s on a mission to find which countries have the happiest people in the world, and to learn why they’re happy. One of the countries he visits is the Kingdom of Bhutan. Bhutan is only the size of Connecticut and not even included on … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 7
- 8
- 9