Text: Song of Songs: 8:6-7, Luke 24:1-10 In the sensual poetry of the Song of Songs, we hear the tale of a young couple madly in love with one another. Their love is made every more delicious by its scandalous nature, and explodes with emotion and passion. Every time I read through its passages, my…
Kenotic Words
worship, sermons, lectionary
The Wilderness: God Provides
Text: Deuteronomy 29:2-6, Mark 1:12-14 A few years ago, I was asked to plan worship for our semi-annual clergy gathering. My team had everything arranged and ready to go. I just had to make sure to arrive early enough in the morning that I could meet with the technical engineer to set up the microphones…
The Wilderness: Gotta Serve Somebody
Text: Exodus 32:1-4, Matthew 4:8-9 Before we get started today, I want to invite you take just a minute of silent reflection. Somewhere, on your bulletin, I want you to write down the top five things that demand your time, attention, and responsibility. The top five things that you are called to focus on. Take…
The Wilderness: Trust and Manna
Text: Exodus 16:1-8, Matthew 4:2-4, Deuteronomy 8:1-8 This week, as we continue our journey in the wilderness, we come to the first of three temptation stories. Three trials. Three decision points. Three opportunities to be shaped by God. The first is about a basic necessity for life: food. Jesus has been fasting for forty days…
The Wilderness: Learning to Lean on the Lord
Text: Exodus 15:22-27, Luke 3:21-22, 4:1-2a, 4:14-15 This year, we are taking a journey through the wilderness during the season of Lent. Most years, we spend one Sunday, if that, focused on the time that Jesus spent in the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry. However, the wilderness is not something to be glossed…
The Wilderness: Can These Bones Live?
Yesterday was my Sabbath day. I wore pajamas all day long. I curled up in a chair and played video games. I watched five episodes of Grey’s Anatomy on the DVR. I was a sloth. I was exhausted. I needed to stop moving, stop thinking, to simply be. But there is a fear that when…
General Conference Reflections #gc2019
I knew that whatever decisions we made or didn’t make during this past week in our General Conference that this Transfiguration text would be appropriate to frame our conversation. You see, in the three synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke – the three that see together – the Transfiguration represents a turning point. Where…
Bible 101: Art, Science, History of Interpretation
Text: Luke 11: 27-28 Over these last few weeks in Bible 101, we have explored how our scriptures were put together, translated, and some of the creative tension that was baked into the text itself. Today, our focus is on interpretation. Once we understand what a scripture meant in the time and place it was…