It is therefore a deeply religious and ethical issue and transgresses all standards of justice when people—and all of the created order—are denied water. Injustice is inflicted, not only against God’s creation, but against the creator. A sound ethical and theological understanding regarding water is essential.An excerpt from today’s sermon for the LENTEN VOICES SERMON SERIES led by Rod Frohman. Bring your lunch and join the discussion at 12:00 NOON in Room 103 of the Education Wing (ground floor).
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Thursday, March 18
From “Water—A Gift of Life and a Human Right” by Geoff Davis
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Wednesday, March 17
by Mary Jane Link
Someone recently sent me this poem— The author is a young Canadian man, Mike Cumberland...
Someone recently sent me this poem— The author is a young Canadian man, Mike Cumberland...
A Canadian New YearGracious God, give us comfort as we remember that you bear our burdens. Amen.
At times you will feel the weight of the thwart on your shoulders—
There will be many miles of portages.
Remember, there will be a time to remove your canoe—
Your burdens will be swept away by the river's currents.
And—when you step into the river it will always be a different river—
And you—my friend—will always be a different you.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Monday, March 15
by Peter DuBois
Growing up as a Methodist, one of the hymns prominent in my memory (some might say it’s the Methodist Anthem) is “O for a thousand tongues to sing,” written by Charles Wesley in 1739. And I think Wesley must have been inspired by this healing text from Mark, which is the gospel text in today’s lectionary. Among its eighteen verses (yes, 18!) are a catalog of all those whose sins are forgiven through Christ, and who then should proclaim His glory enthusiastically. One stanza, generally omitted today over sensitivities to the physically challenged, grows directly from this passage: “Hear him, ye deaf, his praise, ye dumb, your loosened tongues employ; ye blind, behold your Savior come, and leap, ye lame, for joy.” I believe the metaphor, however, extends way beyond the literal interpretation of the text to include shaking off anything that impedes our ability to praise God and Jesus.
Creator God, help us to recognize the wonderful gift of your Son, and to rid ourselves of any impediment to fully praising you, as if we had a thousand tongues to sing. Amen.
“They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is ‘Be opened.’ And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.” – Mark 7: 32, 34-36
Growing up as a Methodist, one of the hymns prominent in my memory (some might say it’s the Methodist Anthem) is “O for a thousand tongues to sing,” written by Charles Wesley in 1739. And I think Wesley must have been inspired by this healing text from Mark, which is the gospel text in today’s lectionary. Among its eighteen verses (yes, 18!) are a catalog of all those whose sins are forgiven through Christ, and who then should proclaim His glory enthusiastically. One stanza, generally omitted today over sensitivities to the physically challenged, grows directly from this passage: “Hear him, ye deaf, his praise, ye dumb, your loosened tongues employ; ye blind, behold your Savior come, and leap, ye lame, for joy.” I believe the metaphor, however, extends way beyond the literal interpretation of the text to include shaking off anything that impedes our ability to praise God and Jesus.
Creator God, help us to recognize the wonderful gift of your Son, and to rid ourselves of any impediment to fully praising you, as if we had a thousand tongues to sing. Amen.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Friday, March 12
by Amy Stratton-Smith
The Greek word from which we get “baptize” means “to dip so as to change” and was a common technical term in Jesus’ day. It was an every day working word, not an ethereal, holy, or abstract concept. Textile workers made their living “baptizing” fabrics in dye to infuse a piece of cloth with bright colors. Blacksmiths “baptized” hot metal in water to make it stronger. Warriors “baptized” the tips of their arrows in poison to make them more lethally effective. Peasants “baptized” hard, stale bread in their soup or stew to soften it enough to avoid breaking their teeth on it. In the same way housewives “baptized” their families’ dirty laundry in the river to make it clean, John the Baptist dipped his followers, and even Jesus, in the Jordan River to cleanse them of guilt for their sins.
The people were all agog, wondering about John, whether perhaps he was the Messiah, but he spoke out and said to them all: "I baptize you with water; but there is one coming who is mightier than I am. I am not worthy to unfasten the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Luke 3:15-16).
I have been wondering what it means to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire. What does that look like? How would you know if you were dipped, or immersed in the Holy Spirit and fire so as to remain yourself but become substantially different? Still a piece of cloth, but with a brighter color? Still a piece of metal, but much stronger, and with your atomic structure rearranged? Still an arrow, but more potent? Still a garment, but fresh and clean? Still a chunk of bread, but more appetizing and digestible?
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians 5:22, he suggests that the fruits, or harvest, of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)
What brightens your spirit so that you bring joy to those around you? What gives you courage to stand up for someone weaker? What makes you more effective acting on behalf of someone needing help? What enables you to give up a grudge and embrace the possibility of a new relationship with an old adversary? What softens your hard edges, making you more compassionate and accessible to others?
When have you been patient where you might have been irritable? Open and welcoming when you might have been reserved and aloof? Confident and bold when you might have been timid? Offering kind words instead of the snappy come-back that first flashed through your mind? Calm and clear-thinking in the midst of a crisis, enabling you to be much more useful than you could have imagined?
Answers to questions like these are the footprints of the Holy Spirit making tracks across our lives. And when we look closely enough, they show up in the most outrageously ordinary and amazingly unexpected places.
Dear God, open our hearts to receive this baptism of Holy Spirit and fire, so that we may be immersed in it and come out changed: brighter, stronger, cleaner, and more nourishing, to the glory of God. Amen.
The Greek word from which we get “baptize” means “to dip so as to change” and was a common technical term in Jesus’ day. It was an every day working word, not an ethereal, holy, or abstract concept. Textile workers made their living “baptizing” fabrics in dye to infuse a piece of cloth with bright colors. Blacksmiths “baptized” hot metal in water to make it stronger. Warriors “baptized” the tips of their arrows in poison to make them more lethally effective. Peasants “baptized” hard, stale bread in their soup or stew to soften it enough to avoid breaking their teeth on it. In the same way housewives “baptized” their families’ dirty laundry in the river to make it clean, John the Baptist dipped his followers, and even Jesus, in the Jordan River to cleanse them of guilt for their sins.
The people were all agog, wondering about John, whether perhaps he was the Messiah, but he spoke out and said to them all: "I baptize you with water; but there is one coming who is mightier than I am. I am not worthy to unfasten the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Luke 3:15-16).
I have been wondering what it means to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire. What does that look like? How would you know if you were dipped, or immersed in the Holy Spirit and fire so as to remain yourself but become substantially different? Still a piece of cloth, but with a brighter color? Still a piece of metal, but much stronger, and with your atomic structure rearranged? Still an arrow, but more potent? Still a garment, but fresh and clean? Still a chunk of bread, but more appetizing and digestible?
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians 5:22, he suggests that the fruits, or harvest, of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)
What brightens your spirit so that you bring joy to those around you? What gives you courage to stand up for someone weaker? What makes you more effective acting on behalf of someone needing help? What enables you to give up a grudge and embrace the possibility of a new relationship with an old adversary? What softens your hard edges, making you more compassionate and accessible to others?
When have you been patient where you might have been irritable? Open and welcoming when you might have been reserved and aloof? Confident and bold when you might have been timid? Offering kind words instead of the snappy come-back that first flashed through your mind? Calm and clear-thinking in the midst of a crisis, enabling you to be much more useful than you could have imagined?
Answers to questions like these are the footprints of the Holy Spirit making tracks across our lives. And when we look closely enough, they show up in the most outrageously ordinary and amazingly unexpected places.
Dear God, open our hearts to receive this baptism of Holy Spirit and fire, so that we may be immersed in it and come out changed: brighter, stronger, cleaner, and more nourishing, to the glory of God. Amen.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Thursday, March 11
From “Sermon Series: A River Runs Through It” by Thomas A Sweet
The Shorter Catechism has one hundred seven questions and originally was devised by the Westminster divines to educate church members in matters of doctrine and belief. But the Reverend Maclean believed in the encompassing sufficiency of the first question and answer as the key for leading a contented, faithful life, and well-lived life. Glorify God in everything you do and enjoy God. If you are not enjoying God, he would say, you do not know God well enough. Your conception of God is too small or mistaken. When I think of enjoying God, I recall the way Jesus answered the early questions the disciples asked of him by saying, “Come and see!”An excerpt from today’s sermon for the LENTEN VOICES SERMON SERIES led by Martha Langford. Bring your lunch and join the discussion at 12:00 NOON in Room 103 of the Education Wing (ground floor).
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Wednesday, March 10
by Kathy Wise
In one scene, one Sunday Mac and his stepson Sonny are baptized in the local church with Rosa Lee, wife and mom, beaming from the church choir. On the way home, Sonny states that he doesn’t feel any different now that he is baptized and stretches up to see himself in the rear-view mirror. “I don’t look any different, do I?” he asks. “Do you feel any different, Mac?” And Mac replies, “Not yet.”
But as the story continues, Mac changes. He reaches out to a youthful country band and helps them become established. He reconciles with his daughter and his former manager. He remains a faithful, loving husband and learns to be an attentive stepfather. He even helps his ex-wife as much as possible when tragedy occurs.
Mac finds an inner calmness and strength to deal with life’s storms. Do we movie-goers believe that all the storms in Mac’s life are over? No. But we have confidence that Mac will be able to handle them.
Oh Lord, help us to open our hearts and allow you to calm the storms in our lives.
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"I fully admit that I am an avid movie fan—and have been for quite some time. One movie that I particularly like is Tender Mercies, a character study of a defeated, washed-up country singer-songwriter who finds redemption by the time the movie is over. Robert Duvall won a Best Actor Oscar in 1984 for his performance as Mac Sledge and Horton Foote won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for his story.
He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" Matthew 8:23-27
In one scene, one Sunday Mac and his stepson Sonny are baptized in the local church with Rosa Lee, wife and mom, beaming from the church choir. On the way home, Sonny states that he doesn’t feel any different now that he is baptized and stretches up to see himself in the rear-view mirror. “I don’t look any different, do I?” he asks. “Do you feel any different, Mac?” And Mac replies, “Not yet.”
But as the story continues, Mac changes. He reaches out to a youthful country band and helps them become established. He reconciles with his daughter and his former manager. He remains a faithful, loving husband and learns to be an attentive stepfather. He even helps his ex-wife as much as possible when tragedy occurs.
Mac finds an inner calmness and strength to deal with life’s storms. Do we movie-goers believe that all the storms in Mac’s life are over? No. But we have confidence that Mac will be able to handle them.
Oh Lord, help us to open our hearts and allow you to calm the storms in our lives.
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