Relating, Creating, Transforming
John 3:9-17 Identity is theme of the 40 days of Lent. Who am I? Who is Jesus? Who are my neighbors? These identity questions should stay with Christians throughout this season, and lead to growth, connection, and cooperation. The Gospel stories of the New Testament give us an opportunity to ask these questions, and then […]
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Matthew 4:1-11 NRSV The 40 days of Lent, for Christians around the world, are an opportunity. Now I don’t know where you are in terms of Christian traditions or Lent. Maybe for you, Lent is a strange word that sounds like the small amount of fuzz in your pants pockets [i.e. lint] or the past […]
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Matthew 17:1-9 Change. Does this word scare you? Make you shiver? Excite you? Heighten your anxiety? Give you hope? Motivate you? Change. How does this word make you feel? It is not hyperbole to say that recently, in the United States, the word change for many does not have a positive connotation. A president addicted […]
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Luke 19:28-40 Peace sayings from various traditions Hindu tradition Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. God’s peace, peace, peace to all. Buddhist tradition May all beings everywhere be happy, Peaceful, and free. Jain tradition Peace and universal love is the essence of all […]
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John 12:1-11 Throughout these 40 days of Lent, I’ve been asking this question: What does it mean for me be truly myself? And I encourage you to do the same. While we ask that question of ourselves, we are journeying with the story in the Gospels, following Jesus’ own journey of self-discovery. Most of this […]
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Luke 13:1-9 Selections from Self, Gautama Buddha If a person holds oneself dear, let one watch oneself carefully. The wise should be watchful during at least one of the three watches. Self is the master of self; who else could be the master? With self a well-controlled a person finds a master such as few […]
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Luke 13:31-35 Selections from Jalal al-Din Rumi: This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, A depression, A meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, […]
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Luke 4:1-13 What does it mean for you to be yourself? Think about that for a moment. What does it mean for you to be yourself? For Christians, the season of Lent began with Ash Wednesday. Lent is a period of 40 days [not counting Sundays]. The forty days of Lent is about one tenth […]
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Isaiah 58:1-12 Isaiah, the prophet says: Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! It’s announcement, but an announcement about hypocrisy. This is often a common issue for religious people—that they say they love God and they claim to do all the right religious rituals and they think themselves to […]
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Exodus 34:29-35 and Luke 9:28, 29; 37, 38 What does it mean to have a shiny face? Okay, think about it. Shiny face is real. By midday, your face just might have a little sheen. It’s called sebum [combo of dead skin cells and lipids]. This sebum protects your skin from drying out. But it […]
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