Last weekend my wife and I returned to Fargo, ND, for the first time since we left 12 years ago. We lived there for four years while she completed her schooling. Moorhead, MN, is across the river from Fargo; it’s the home of my younger cousin and her family. During our years in Fargo she gave birth to her second child, a daughter, and asked if we would be baptismal sponsors. The reason we returned to Moorhead last weekend was to continue to be faithful to the promises we made at our … [Read more...]
Slave-girls
lately, I’ve found that in reading God’s Word I don’t have to use my imagination too much. In today’s first reading, for example, Luke writes that one day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. All we have to do is check the news and learn about three women in Cleveland who were kidnapped as girls and held against their will for ten years. Slave girls of the 21st … [Read more...]
Wanting Wellness
Our sister Jill is moving. Jill has been with us now for most of the past ten years. For many years before that Jill was a member of a sister congregation. Part of Jill’s story is that she lost Joe, the love of her life. One day he was here, the next day—suddenly—he was gone. She was devastated. Fortunately, Jill has a strong circle of love—family and friends who supported her then, and continue to support her. Jill’s story is not unusual. All of us have faced major life transitions: loss … [Read more...]
Ordinary Transformation
Think of a time in your life that you were transformed. Think of a time when you had one way of doing things and one day found yourself following a different path. People I know who’ve struggled with alcohol or drug addictions have some of the most powerful stories to tell. One day their lives revolve around booze or narcotics and their lives are spinning out of control; the next day they’ve stopped, and their lives begin to turn around. Those are dramatic stories that some of us can … [Read more...]
Seeing Rainbows
Did you see the rainbows this past week? Winter and spring in this part of the world are especially good for viewing rainbows. The picture of a full rainbow on your bulletin, taken from our front yard, doesn’t begin to do it justice! Did you see rainbows this week? Or, did you just see rain. But if you didn’t see the rainbows it might have been because you were inside, glued to the TV. It was another week marked by death and violence. Seems like a common thing these days, doesn’t it? It’s not … [Read more...]
Behind Closed Doors
Yesterday was a big day for me. Minjing and I attended our first same-gender wedding. Paul and Bruce had been waiting for this day for a long time. Paul had been waiting even longer than he knew. He didn’t make it publicly known that he was gay until the past couple of years. Imagine living an entire life trying to be someone other than who God created you to be. Imagine being devout Christians, as Paul and Bruce have been all their lives, and experiencing the shame of judgment from other … [Read more...]
I’m Going Fishing
In the news we learned that Matthew Warren took his own life this past week. Matthew was son of megachurch pastor Rick Warren. Matthew Warren had struggled most of his life with mental illness and at age 27 he finally succumbed to it. One of the big questions we face in life is what to do with our grief. We can run from it. We can hide from it, but sooner or later it will find us. What do we do when we’ve lost what’s most important to us? The stories of this Easter season ask that … [Read more...]
The Grateful Father
So—where did you find yourself in the story? Many of you have heard this story a hundred times. What stories from your own life came to mind as you heard the parable? Maybe a few of us are honest enough to catch a glimpse of ourselves in the younger son: careless, wasteful--selfish. I’m guessing there’s at least a chance that many of us identify with the older son. The older son, after all, is hard-working, dutiful, responsible, loyal and willing to sacrifice. In other words, he represents … [Read more...]
Hen and Chicks
Those of you who spend time on the Internet know about something called “urban legends.” These are stories that attract enough interest that they are forwarded to thousands, maybe even millions of people around the world. Here’s one such story: After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park [in 1989], forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. … [Read more...]
Perfect Love
Last Sunday we welcomed Leigh Weber to worship. Leigh is a seminary student and our preacher for the day. Later that day I got an e-mail from Leigh that read: I had a WONDERFUL time worshiping with your congregation. The light streaming through those beautiful windows, the hymns you chose and being able to celebrate the Eucharist with you all...God was at work in the blessings! Thanks so much for the invitation to preach and to meet your gracious community. I look forward to seeing you in the … [Read more...]
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