Week of February 28, 2021
While on my Lenten retreat, I took the opportunity to hike to Hidden in the Hollow falls, which is (the brochure told me) the largest falls west of the Alleghanies and east of the Rockies. The brochure also said that the trail was 1.6 miles to the falls and largely downward in direction, and then 1.6…
Week of February 21, 2021
This Sunday’s Gospel reading is a little strange for two reasons: First, the baptism of our Lord is observed in the liturgical calendar on the first Sunday after Epiphany. Second, historically baptism is associated with Easter, not the onset of Lent. So why are we hearing this now? I believe the biggest reason is to…
Week of February 14, 2021
A long time ago when I was in college, I had a very uncomfortable conversation. A person I was very close to needed to apologize about something and decided that the opportune time to do that was while we were on a long drive. So there I am, having a conversation I really don’t want…
Week of February 7, 2021
I saw a meme on Facebook recently that said that most apologies can be translated as “are you done being mad yet?” As I mentioned last week, I am encouraging people to consider using their Lenten discipline as an opportunity to seek forgiveness from someone that they are hurt. In last Sunday’s sermon I suggested…
Week of January 31, 2021
I am going to do a thing I have not really done before, and that is start talking about Lent three weeks before Lent even begins. Lent is a season of penitence, a season characterized by solemnity and self-reflection with motifs of sin and death thrown in for good measure. And you might be asking,…
Week of January 17, 2021
“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, “We will not walk in it.” (Jeremiah 6:16, NIV) I believe that most of us want to be the hero of our own story. We…
Week of January 10, 2020
It’s Thursday, the day after the attack on the Capitol, and I am asking myself, “do I need to say that trespassing, vandalism, intimidation, violence, and the attempted subversion of our legal election process is morally wrong? Or do we already know that?” But in these moments, it is not necessarily about personal spiritual direction…
Week of January 3, 2021
Anniversaries. We have all been asked that question, after turning another year older, “so, do you feel any different?” The answer to that often depends on the disposition of the person in the moment, but it is easy to say no. The day after I turned 49 this year did not feel all that particularly different than the…
Week of December 20, 2020
One of the fundamental moves that all roller derby skaters learn is the “transition.” When you transition, you turn your body around in place while still skating in the same direction. So for example, if you are skating forward, you spin around and begin skating backwards, or vice versa. It is a helpful move because it allows you…
Week of December 13, 2020
As we get a clearer sense of the timeline of the pandemic and how long things like social distancing and the lack of in-person worship will continue, it has become apparent that we need to be increasingly intentional about staying connected with our members. In particular we need to be seeking out those members whose participation…