This week, it is easy, Peter talks about stones, about being stones, living stones. Psalm 31 talks about the rock that is the Lord supporting us, encouraging us. We are the stone; God is the rock. What this means is that the best sign, the best symbol of God’s presence
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How do we celebrate the guardian? We describe the attributes of this guardian best through sightings of the work of the Christ among us. When have you experienced the guardian of your soul? When have you acted as the guardian of souls for others? That’s the story we need to share. We
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Today is a day for testimony. We need to remind ourselves and one another that we have indeed been set free. Notice all the past tense, completed action in both the epistle and in the psalm. “You were ransomed” and “you have come to trust in God” and “you have been
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The epistle text for this week lends itself to being paraphrased into a creedal statement or affirmation of faith for the whole congregation to recite together. There is a proclamation quality to these words and to this day. But the mood of worship is one of celebration and joy. Yes,
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Easter is a shout of jubilation that shakes the foundation of our presuppositions about what makes a good life. There are traditions and expectations aplenty for Easter. But hearing the story is important too. Read it, proclaim it, sing it, perform it. Let it ring in our ears with awesome
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Every day is a holy day if you live into the truth of the ever-present God. Every moment is a moment rich with possibility and hope; every relationship is a potential insight into the activity of the Spirit; every conversation is a living word of grace and peace. “Best of
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Here at the end of the Lenten observance (well, almost the end anyway), we have hints of Resurrection. We start with the Psalm, which begins with a hard question but then ends with hope. It begins with an admission of guilt, or need, or emptiness and then moves toward grace
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Our texts this week are about being chosen by God. Most of us don’t think that we were chosen, certainly not to be king like David. But surely, we chose the jobs that we do and the hobbies that we pursue and the service that we perform, didn’t we? Well,
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Water is a theme for the week. We’re thirsty this week. That’s the point. Thirsting for the living waters that Jesus spoke about to the woman at the well. And not simply a one time or easy but unsatisfying spiritual refreshment, but a recognition of the deepest thirsts that we
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This is the week that the “moving out” part of our theme is most obvious. Whether we are talking about the call to go to a new place, like Abram in Genesis 12, or to move to a new understanding, like Nicodemus in John 3, movement is required. Movement means
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