Dear Church, I’m not often in the habit of writing letters. My apostle, Paul, loved to write letters and you have quite a few of those contained in the scriptures. I guess I did write seven letters some time ago – to seven different churches… but I digress…. This isn’t something I do a whole…
Ordinary Time
In the Desert
In these weeks before our season of Advent starts, we’ve been exploring the Psalms of our scriptures. Rev. Andrea Severson joined us at the end of October to talk a bit about times of transition and journeying and the songs the Israelites wrote to accompany them on the way. Last week, as we remembered our…
Altars Everywhere!
Defiant Praise – John van de Laar There are many doorways to cynicism, Jesus, Many reasons for despair, May causes for fear; But there is no excuse for giving them ultimate power; Not if we really believe what we claim to believe. Resurrection is real, Jesus; We have touched it, and seen it; Our own…
Around Every Corner
This summer I have harvested quite a bit of produce from my garden. Tomatoes and peppers and cucumbers in particular. I put up 7 quarts of salsa, 4 quarts of spaghetti sauce, 8 quarts of dill pickles, 4 quarts of sweet and spicy pickles, some pickle relish, and I’ve frozen 10 bags of roasted tomatoes.…
Enough…
“Enough” by John van de Laar Worry and stress are not hard for us, God, We do them without thinking: There is always the potential of threat To our security, Our comfort, Our health, Our relationships, Our lives. And we foolishly think that we could silence the fear If we just had enough money, Enough…
Drop Kick Me, Jesus
Yesterday after the Iowa – Iowa State game, Chad Leistikow wrote that it was a game “neither team deserved to lose.” [1] You all know I’m a huge Iowa Hawkeye football fan… but I am also the sort of fan who loves to cheer on Iowa State or UNI or any other Iowa team, as…
The Spirit of Surrender
A little bit later in the service today, we will be receiving a new member of this Body of Christ. And we will ask Tom some questions… questions that all of us were asked when we joined this church, questions that our parents and sponsors were asked when we were baptized. Do we accept the…
The Spirit of Gentleness
Yesterday morning, Brandon and I were walking through the farmer’s market downtown when suddenly before us was a man holding a gigantic sign. As people passed by, averting their gaze, he shouted out condemnations and warnings. “Don’t return to church,” he said as I crossed his path, “Return to the Lord!” Most of you haven’t…