In the early Church, Lent was the season when fresh converts to faith prepared for baptism on Easter Sunday. Their lesson plans throughout those 40 days arose from the cornerstone of Christianity – Jesus Christ: his life and ministry, his death and resurrection; his widespread hospitality and his care for the vulnerable; his nourishment forContinue reading “And There’s Still More”
Tag Archives: Lent
Lost and Found: The Parable of the Lost Sheep
Herding sheep is a never-ending task. As soon as one lost sheep is found, another wanders off. Or so I’m told – and perhaps you have experienced: Our lives follow a similar ebb and flow of aimless meandering and blessed rescue. One minute you’re feeling like the world’s your oyster and you’ve found your way,Continue reading “Lost and Found: The Parable of the Lost Sheep”
Rest and Growth: The Parable of the Fig Tree
Master gardeners well understand that their plants, trees, and bushes need rest, nutrients, and time – and hungry growers also need their flora to produce fruit and vegetables. Both needs are true in the biology of horticulture – and so also in the discipleship of those who sow, tend, and water their faith. To flourishContinue reading “Rest and Growth: The Parable of the Fig Tree”
You Don’t Know Jack
Thanks to the likes of Mother Goose, everyone knows the nursery rhyme by heart: Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.Jack fell down and broke his crown, and Jill came tumbling after. But wait, there’s more! Up Jack got and home did trot as fast as he could caper;AndContinue reading “You Don’t Know Jack”
By the Lord’s Arithmetic
It’s the kind of banner headline that catches my attention and stops me cold: “How to Save a Sad, Lonely, Angry and Mean Society.” It tops a compelling essay by the conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks. Long one of my favorites, he well argues that consuming culture bathes the human mind with emotionalContinue reading “By the Lord’s Arithmetic”
Two Worlds Collide
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’ How beautiful are the feet of the messenger.” (Isaiah 52:7) My feet hurt. My right knee aches. My left shoulder twinges. Some of my aches and painsContinue reading “Two Worlds Collide”
A Spiritual Health Check-up
If you, like me, attended public school between 1966 and 2012, then you likely remember sweating, grunting, and groaning through the Presidential Physical Fitness Test — A grueling, gym-class ordeal that demanded sit-ups, pull-ups, a long-distance run, and several other selected feats of pubescent strength and agility. For the athletically inclined it was a chanceContinue reading “A Spiritual Health Check-up”
The Covenant: An Invitation into Lent
The 40-day season of Lent – a time of prayer, reflection, fasting, and repentance – leads up to Easter’s celebration of Jesus’s resurrection. According to the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert wilderness before beginning his public ministry. During his wilderness time, Jesus endured and fought offContinue reading “The Covenant: An Invitation into Lent”
From the Pastor: Taking Up Your Cross
“The next day, the great crowd that had come to the Passover festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord – the King of Israel!’” (John 12:12-13) TodayContinue reading “From the Pastor: Taking Up Your Cross”
Always Room for One More
Many of the stories in the New Testament’s book of Acts all seem to end the same way. After either witnessing an amazing miracle or hearing a passionate sermon, people’s souls and spirits are so deeply touched that scads and scores of them come to faith in Jesus Christ. And they’re all welcomed into thisContinue reading “Always Room for One More”