Hannah’s prayer is considered the spiritual ancestress to “Mary’s Magnifcat” that Mary, mother of Jesus, prays after learning she is pregnant and visiting Elizabeth. Hannah, like Mary (and others), is written to have had a miracle birth, and to a sort of regal line, no less: Samuel, one of Israel’s latest and greatest judges, and … read
In the midst of grief, in the midst of anger, pain, sadness, hurt, maybe even feeling a bit betrayed, or maybe feeling like having the greatest life-changing rug pulled out from under you; in the midst of all those kinds of feelings, it makes sense that someone might be a bit distracted from seeing clearly. … read
We are now deep into the Lenten season, the troubled waters now at the waists, waters troubled enough to submerge some and at times overwhelm others, and remaining faithful knowing that the calming of waters and stilling of waters is to arrive, and has arrived, in the name of Jesus and through the Spirit of … read
A faithless and perverse generation. I have been racking my brain for weeks on how to talk about this message because I know that our current generation, too, could easily be described as faithless and perverse. I know we have contributed to becoming a faithless and perverse generation, and that is not the most uplifting … read
We have been exploring the phrase “be not afraid” during this Advent season because Advent is often associated with “awaiting”—and when Jesus did arrive, people who had been waiting for Jesus probably felt a little bit of worry, a little bit of anxiety. But they weren’t worried because they thought that Jesus was coming to … read
What a poignant question for today – the Sunday after a nationwide demonstration of resistance to evil and hate, a demonstration of love and compassion for each other, and a demonstration of faithfulness. Yet, I fear many people still rightfully wonder, “Would Jesus find faithfulness on earth?” Kierkegaard says Jesus would have been turned away … read