Claimed, gathered and sent

One of the joys of this past Spring Semester has been the number of professors and courses that have invited us to reflect upon past and anticipated experiences in light of the cross. Below is what I wrote regarding Palestinian liberation theology and the cross, especially from Bishop Munib Younan's book, Witnessing in Jerusalem , as well as in the light of my own experiences in the Holy Land. Introduction The situation in the Holy Land seems bleak at best these days. For the residents on all sides, life is a daily roller coaster ride. Hopes for peace rise at the prospect of each negotiation and are then crushed by violence. The people want to have hope. It is a land that should be a place of hope considering the biblical events that unfolded there. Luther’s words in the Heidelberg Disputation still speak today to those who are willing to hear in that volatile place: 20. He deserves to be called a theologian… who comprehends the visible and manifest things of God seen through suffe...

Abby had x-rays at the vet yesterday. Her arthritis was not as severe as anticipated. She does have some in her hips, hip dysplasia, and some muscle loss. Considering her age of 13 1/2 years, we all decided it was best to just try to get her comfortable. When she came home, she was feeling no pain. She had been put out for the x-rays and was still woozy, which was great. She didn't hurt! Tramadol has been added to what she's already taking for pain and though it's early, we already see an improvement. She was wiggly, outgoing, and wagging her tail today like she used to. She even bounded over to me from the bedroom to the living room! At least for now, Abby is much more her old self. She isn't huffing and puffing, looking at me with pain in her eyes, and unable to settle down anywhere. At the moment she's resting comfortably next to my chair. She may make it to internship after all. Thank you all for your prayers. The hard and sad thing is that when dogs start...

Abby, Ray's retired Seeing Eye Dog, has been ageing rapidly the past few months. Several times her back end has given out on her. She is very Stoic and doesn't let on how much pain she is in. We took her to the vet today and as she was being examined, her pain level was obvious, even though she did not bark or yelp. She is spending the day at the vet for x-rays. We wonder if she will be able to make it till internship in August. We are conflicted. We don't want her to be in pain and we don't want to have her put down simply because it would be convenient. She is 13 1/2 years old. Some days she doesn't even wag her tail--which is something that was in perpetual motion. Please pray for us that we will do the right thing for her when the time comes. In the meantime, the issue is to get/keep her comfortable.

We had a great visit this weekend to Petersburg, WV. That is where I'll be doing internship for a year starting in August. Here are some pictures of the area around the motel we stayed at, the church, and the parsonage. It's going to be a good year.

This weekend, Sat. & Sun., we have the opportunity to visit Petersburg, WV, where I begin internship in August. The picture at the left is from Google Earth. Because of the way God brought this about, I have not yet met my supervisor. We have only spoken over the phone and I have heard wonderful things about him. So, this weekend, we will meet. These are a few pictures I got from online sources. I will take plenty while we're there. Ray, being a train geek, buff, or whatever you want to call a train aficionado, is very happy about the nearness of a rail line. Perhaps he and a couple other train friends can connect and take advantage of the setting. In the meantime, because of being sick, I had to get extensions for some coursework. Prayers are appreciated as I begin to feel better, get the work done, and check out what will be our home for a year.

Text: John 17:20-26 I love roller coasters—the anticipation as we climb up to the top of big hills and the rush as we roll down them. We were climbing up during lent to Easter and now our 50-day Easter journey is nearly complete with Pentecost next Sunday. In today’s gospel, Jesus is in his last days with his followers before his crucifixion. I feel a bit in this text as if we’re in a figure 8 section of the roller coaster ride with all the pronouns and prepositions. And just when we think we’re coming out of the last curve and into the straightaway, it’s back to prepositions and pronouns So let’s get ready for this ride and see where it takes us… If we throw in some other phrases along with the pronouns and prepositions, things become a bit clearer: …that they may all be one so that the world may believe…so that the world may know… the world does not know you, but I know you. Now as much as I like roller coaster rides, eventually if we stay up there, we’ll get hungry, thirsty, may...

This is the sermon I preached this morning at Bender's Lutheran Church in Biglerville, PA. The gospel text is John 13:31-35. “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” This little song is probably familiar to us all. Is there anyone that hasn’t heard this before? Or how about “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow black and white, they are precious in his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.” That sounds right. In today’s gospel, Jesus even refers to his disciples as “little children.” Sometimes it’s so wonderful to relax in the warmth of Jesus’ love, isn’t it? Today’s text takes place during the last Passover Jesus had with his disciples. The “he” of “When he had gone out” is Judas. He had just left dinner to betray Jesus. Jesus has previous told his disciples that he would be betrayed and go to the cross, but they never quite got it. Just like we don’t always get it. So, here we are with th...