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”
Jesus told us, "Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." We understand this spiritually, but we can also think about our call to be the presence of Christ on Earth.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper 13b – 4-Aug-24”
What happens when the only that which people brought with them encounters the power of God? It becomes more than enough, if we read the scripture right.
What happens when what we bring, our financial resources, our talents, and our time encounters the power of God in our community?… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper 12b – 28-Jul-24”
There are a lot of incredible things that go on in the ministries of this congregation. I don't believe we've ever fed 5000 men, with women and children on top of that, but we do have ministries that work to help those without food, clothing, or shelter.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper B11 – 21-Jul-24”
Who is Jesus? That's what people in Jesus' day were asking. People are still asking that today. Oh, they know that Jesus was a teacher, who said some important things about loving other people, but they're still wondering what difference that makes.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper B10 – 14-Jul-24”
In our scriptures for today, we're told that we have the great responsibility to carry the Good News of God's love into the world. We're not guaranteed a good reception and we're certainly not expected to be perfect in order to do this.… Read the rest “Table Meditation for Proper B9 – 7-Jul-24”
Sometimes Jesus' ministry was very public. He fed over 5000 people in one instance. Sometimes Jesus' ministry was private and personal, like the stories of healing one small girl and one particular woman from our scripture for today.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper B8 – 30-Jun-24”