Claimed, gathered and sent

Since I last posted, much has happened. Through one of my classes I spend several hours a week with a wonderful rural congregation and their pastor. The pastor and her family were away this weekend, so I had the opportunity to supply preach and conduct a service of the Word. Here is the passage and following that is the text of my sermon. Enjoy! John 8:31-36 31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. As Americans, freedom is a concept we’re very famili...

I read the following tonight during my devotions using Minister's Prayer Book by John W. Doberstein. Each day of the week is devoted to a different aspect of ministry. Tuesday concerns the minister's life. One of the reflections included for today was written by Kierkegaard (pictured at right). I found it very thought provoking and sobering. Order the parsons to be silent on Sundays. What is there left? The essential things remain: their lives, the daily life with which the parsons preach.Would you, then, get the impression by watching them, that it was Christianity they were preaching? By God's grace, may our lives speak of the life of Christ and him crucified, buried, and raised. Picture from Encarta

Thanks to Rev Abi for this morning's prayer. Lord, Come be the salt in our life that we then can be the salt in other’s lives. Lord, Teach us how to not be stumbling blocks in the little one’s lives. Lord, teach us to accept each other even though we are different in our practices and our form of worship and church government. Lord, Teach us to be the salt that this world needs. Lord, help us in our walk to be your disciples. Lord remind us it is for such a time as this that you have called us to be your disciples, to spread the salt of your grace and love in this world. Lord remind us to spread your hope in a world that sometimes feels hopeless. Amen flickr photo

I read the following tonight for my own night prayer. God spoke to me so profoundly through the words that I practiced lectio divina (meditative reading) with them. I was brought to a place of feeling like a lost little girl being shown the way home. It's from the book Thomas Merton: A Book of Hours, edited by Kathleen Deignan, pp. 66-67. And he called out to me from his own immense depths. Silence Litany Teach me to go to this country beyond words and beyond names. Teach me to pray on this side of the frontier, here where these woods are. I need to be led by you. I need my heart to be moved by you. I need my soul to be made clean by your prayer. I need my will to be made strong by you. I need the world to be saved and changed by you. I need you for all those who suffer, who are in prison, in danger, in sorrow. I need you for all the crazy people. I need your healing hand to work always in my life. I need you to make me, as you made your Son, a hea...

It's been a very long time since I posted. I've been juggling sickness and classes, but I think I'm back now. Here is a sermon I preached for my Preaching Mark class based on tomorrow's gospel text. The Holy Gospel according to Mark. “What did you say? What were you talking about?” Many of us have heard the all too familiar answer, “Nothing.” Of course that’s because the children know they have been caught. The disciples’ responded to Jesus ’ similar inquiry with silence, perhaps because they were ashamed, perhaps because Jesus had just been teaching them of his upcoming death and resurrection. And the topic of their conversation—who is the greatest? The setting is Capernaum in Galilee , Jesus ’ home base there, It is from this place he began his Galilean ministry according to Mark . This passage follows the Transfiguration and some healings. For the second time, Jesus teaches of his approaching death and resurrection. In verse 33, “ A...