Today, rather than give you my reflections, I offer only the scripture reading from the Common English Bible: John 13:1-17 13 Before the Festival of Passover, Jesus knew that his time had come to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them fully. 2 Jesus... Continue Reading →
Hebrew 12:1-3 In 1967 Kathrine Switzer followed her dream and her passion to run in the famous Boston Marathon. She registered for the race. She was given a number. 261. It was, at that moment, just a number. And she began the race. Race official Jock Semple became aware that a woman was running the... Continue Reading →
John 12:20-36 Should I give up and walk away? Or should I stay? This was essentially Jesus' question as he pondered what he should pray for. Should he ask for all the hardship he was about to endure to be taken away from him, or should he ask for God's help in making it happen?... Continue Reading →
John 12:1-11 "You will always have the poor with you..." How many times have I heard this line used as justification for accepting the prevalence of poverty and homelessness. When we cherry pick this (or any line from our sacred texts) we can justify a lot of terrible things. We can always find that one... Continue Reading →
Leviticus 23:1-8 God has always called us into sacred times and structured the rhythms of our lives in such a way that we should be constantly reminded of God's presence. Jesus modeled this with his life by regularly taking time away from the crowds and the pressures of his public ministry to retreat to quiet... Continue Reading →
Isaiah 54:9-10 Just before I sat down to read today's scriptures, I made the mistake of reading the news. I scrolled past the political pieces and landed on an article about a Good Samaritan being murdered because someone felt slighted by her good deeds. Three American soldiers died in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan. There's... Continue Reading →
Psalm 31:9-16 Oh, how I've read this passage throughout the years! Prone to depression, I've struggled with the darkness that can sometimes overshadow my soul. With two suicide attempts by the time I was 23, I've struggled to find meaning in the messiness of life when things are going poorly. Somewhere along the line, though,... Continue Reading →
Luke 18:31-34 I often resonate with the disciples in their most obtuse moments, because I'm usually in that place myself. In today's reading, Jesus didn't mince his words. He laid out the reality of what he was facing in the very near future: humiliation, trials, betrayal, torture, beatings, crucifixion... he was blunt. But the disciples... Continue Reading →
Psalm 20 We were watching television and one of the characters performed a "trust fall" but wasn't caught. Confused, I asked my parents why that crazy woman just fell backwards like that. In her explanation, Mom and Dad demonstrated a "trust fall", but when it was my turn to fall backwards, I had a hard... Continue Reading →
Hebrews 10:19-25 Mrs. Cline, my elementary school Sunday School teacher, once told us a story about how priests would enter the Holy of Holies deep in the center of the Temple. Only one could enter, she told us, and he must be perfect and purified. There was a specific ritual which must be carried out... Continue Reading →
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