Sometimes, when we read Jesus' comments to others we read them as if they were commands for all of us. We need to be careful with that. When Jesus tells the man in our story today that he should sell all he has and give the proceeds to the poor, it was because his riches distracted him from the things God wanted.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper B23 – 13-Oct-24”
One of the special aspects of World Communion Sunday is that people all over the world are coming together at the table of Christ to remember Jesus and what he taught us in word and deed.
We are connected. We are connected to people in all times and places.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for World Communion Sunday 6-Oct-24”
Jesus tells us that it's not what goes into our mouths that will cause us problems but what comes out of our hearts. How do we know what's coming out of our hearts? Well, we can listen to what we say about how we think we should act, but watching what we do is a much better indicator.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper B21 – 29-Sep-24”
Being a "servant of all" seems like a lot of work. Is it even possible? Not by ourselves alone. But one of the things that the Church as a whole can do is combine our abilities, our time, and our financial resources to make it possible.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper 20B – 22-Sep-24”
People don't usually come out and ask the question like Jesus did: "Who do you say I am?" But they are wondering who we think Jesus is? What we do and how we do it tells them more about who we think Jesus is than what we say, as important as what we say is.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper 19B – 15-Sep-24”
Sometimes we forget that the Good News of God's love for each and every one of us is for everyone, people right here in this community of faith, people is this city and nation, and people all over the world.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper 18B – 8-Sep-24”
I think one thing that Jesus was trying to teach the Pharisees in our scripture for today is that what comes out of our heart goes into the world, so it not only affects us, but affects those around us.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper B17 – 01-Sep-24”
Following Jesus is not easy and it's usually not intuitive either. We have to listen to God's Spirit very carefully to understand what we are really called to do. There are some parts of it that are easy to understand (and yet still take a lot of effort to do well:)
The scriptures are clear that we are to represent the love of God that we know through Jesus by loving others.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper 16B – 25-Aug-24”
Jesus talks about how he, and those who take his mission within them, give life to the world. How do we do that? Well, one way is to teach people about Jesus, about what he said and did and what that means for us today.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper 15b – 18-Aug-24”
When we hear Jesus say, "I am the bread of life." we understand it as a metaphor. We know that knowing and following Jesus bring substance and helps us find purpose in life. But there are people in this world, in our nation, in our cities, that need actual bread to eat.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper 14b – 11-Aug-24”