Relating, Creating, Transforming
Mark 1:9-15 It’s not popular to take a break. Is it? Really, it’s not. I mean, you’re tired, burned out, mentally exhausted at work, and so you think—I should—take a break, right? And so, when you do, to recharge, to find your strength again, are you met with approving looks and applause? Most likely, NO. […]
Read MoreMark 9:2-10 Many Christians observe what is called Transfiguration Sunday, just before Ash Wednesday. Transfiguration is not a word we say a lot. It comes from the Greek word for metemorphothe, what we pronounce “metamorphosis.” Ongoing change. Of course, maybe you’ve heard or used the word transfiguration as it pertains to the spells of the […]
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Mark 1:29-34a 29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31 He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, […]
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Mark 1:21-39 Let’s talk demons, afflictions, identity and love. Cool with you? Okay, first, a story about Jesus of Nazareth. He’s making his way to Capernaum–perhaps the most important and well-connected community in the region of Galilee. There was a temple there, and Jesus was about to darken its door. Mark’s Gospel is the speed […]
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Mark 1:14-20 Sometimes we see ourselves as only what others tell us, or what the world tells us. Are we just our jobs? Are we just defined by appearance? Are we meant to fit into other people’s boxes? Or, are we invited to be ourselves in a free-flowing, surprising way? Are we invited to follow […]
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John 1:43-51 What things do you notice in everyday life? Which things do you often miss, go unnoticeable? When you notice something you didn’t before, how does that change things for you? I think there is a difference between being noticed and being seen, would you agree? For example, you go to a social gathering: […]
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Isaiah 60:1-3; 5-6 Matthew 2:1,2 Have you ever had a moment when things seemed to click for you, when a seemingly unsolvable problem or issue became solvable? Did the hair stand up on your arm? Did you jump up and shout Eureka! or did an imaginary light bulb suddenly appear over your head? Yes, I’m […]
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Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 2 Corinthians 5:17 Many of you are probably familiar with the musical Rent, a rock musical with music, lyrics, and book by Jonathan Larson, loosely based on Giacomo Puccini’s opera La Bohème. Rent follows the story of a group friends who are mostly young artists struggling to survive in New York City’s East […]
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Luke 1:39-41; 46-49; 52,53 Let’s get this out of the way from the start. I know that for many, the stories about the birth of Jesus of Nazareth carry with them some pretty strong emotions and nostalgia. For some, this story can be confusing, maddening, and perhaps oppressive—depending on how religion [and your family] treated […]
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In the brilliant sci-fi/fantasy Netflix series Stranger Things the main characters all go through trauma: Joyce loses her son, Will. Jonathan loses his little brother. Eleven/Jane is experimented on, deprived of parental care, tortured, and manipulated psychologically. Dustin, Mike, and Lucas lose their friend and think he’s dead. Will is taken by a creature to […]
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