Claimed, gathered and sent

This really struck a chord with me today as I read/prayed it. May you be blessed as well. A Place for Prayer: Receiving THIS Day Google Image

I came across this just now and find Joan Chittester brings a powerful perspective on the issue. The Meaning of Our Memories Memory is one of the most powerful functions of the human mind. It is also one of life’s most determining ones. What goes on in memory has a great deal to do with what goes on in us all our lives. Memory is a wild horse, unbridled, riderless, maverick. It takes us often where we would not go, or takes us back over and over again to where we cannot stay, however much we wish we could. So, it leaves us always in one state or the other, one place or the other, leaves us either pining or confused, leaves us in either case in a world unfinished in us. It is the unfinishedness that is the price we pay for growing always older. The young hear memory in the voice of their elders and, delighted by these voices from the past or bored by them, too often miss the content behind the content. Memory is not about what went on in the past. It is about what ...

This is the sermon I preached yesterday at Grace Lutheran Church, Petersburg, WV, my internship site It seems like it was apropos considering what some of the folks are going through. God is faithful. The gospel reading was Luke 20:27-38.             The Gospel of Luke continues to challenge us. Wed. morning as the pastors’ group gathered for text study, we discussed what we thought it might be like in the afterlife. What are we expecting? It was certainly different from what Jesus’ challengers anticipated. One member’s response was, “I just want some answers. I want to ask questions.” Maybe you feel the same way. The Sadducees had questions as well. Though their example seems extreme, it appears innocent enough, but we need to understand a bit of the cultural and religious dynamics of the groups Jesus encountered. The Sadducees and the Pharisees were generally at odds with each other. The Sadducees only believed in the writte...

The last couple of weeks I've had the opportunity to ask myself what I would do with various situations if I encountered these situations as a pastor in my first call. I'm glad that these instances are occurring during internship. Here I have the opportunity to learn from a very wise and experienced pastor as my supervisor.   Good self-care is one of the issues we are working through. I am on my second round of prednisone for my asthma which has been troubling me. I'm not sleeping well at night because of the cough and wheezing associated with it. I have responsibilities and duties in the church and for the members of Grace. When I saw the doctor Thurs., he was concerned about my nasty cough. This week I was scheduled to go to the nursing home to visit members there. I knew I wasn't contagious, but was uncertain as to whether or not it was a good idea for me to go there, so I asked him. The last time I was at the nursing home, there was a lot of respiratory stuff goin...

This devotion by Henri Nouwen certainly helps us put things in perspective. A Ministry of Healing and Reconciliation How does the Church witness to Christ in the world? First and foremost by giving visibility to Jesus' love for the poor and the weak. In a world so hungry for healing, forgiveness, reconciliation, and most of all unconditional love, the Church must alleviate that hunger through its ministry. Wherever we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the lonely, listen to those who are rejected, and bring unity and peace to those who are divided, we proclaim the living Christ, whether we speak about him or not. It is important that whatever we do and wherever we go, we remain in the Name of Jesus, who sent us. Outside his Name our ministry will lose its divine energy. Share your thoughts on this reflection. These reflections are taken from Henri J.M. Nouwen's Bread for the Journey. Visit HenriNouwen.org for more inspirati...

The text for this sermon is Luke 20:27-38a . This is my initial draft.             The Gospel of Luke continues to challenge us. Wed. morning as the pastors’ group gathered for text study, we discussed what we thought it might be like in the afterlife. What are we expecting? It was certainly different from what Jesus’ challengers anticipated. One member’s response was, “I just want some answers. I want to ask questions.” Maybe you feel the same way. The Sadducees had questions as well. Though their example seems extreme, it appears innocent enough, but we need to understand a bit of the cultural and religious dynamics of the groups Jesus encountered. The Sadducees and the Pharisees were generally at odds with each other. The Sadducees only believed in the written law in the first 5 books of the Old Testament. They did not accept the oral traditions that went along with it. Nor did they believe in the resurrection from the dead...

Being in the Church, Not of It Often we hear the remark that we have to live in the world without being of the world. But it may be more difficult to be in the Church without being of the Church. Being of the Church means being so preoccupied by and involved in the many ecclesial affairs and clerical "ins and outs" that we are no longer focused on Jesus. The Church then blinds us from what we came to see and deafens us to what we came to hear. Still, it is in the Church that Christ dwells, invites us to his table, and speaks to us words of eternal love. Being in the Church without being of it is a great spiritual challenge. These reflections are taken from Henri J.M. Nouwen's Bread for the Journey. Visit HenriNouwen.org for more inspiration!