“The life of faith is not a weekend hobby or a vacation destination. It’s a full soul, full body, full mind endeavor that requires renunciation. And surrender. And a reordering of our identities, our priorities, and our proclivities.” ~Debi Thomas, alt. I’ll be honest right up front. I’m struggling with the scripture for this Sunday:…
“Treasure your relationships, not your possessions.” ~Anthony J. D’Angelo Relationships are at the heart of scripture. The prominence of relationships in scripture affirms that relationships matter. Relationships matter to God, who created us to be in relationship and daily seeks relationship with us. Relationships matter to Jesus, who centered his ministry in relationship and taught…
“The life that we find when we give up our lives to follow God’s call, is, after all is said and done, the life most worth living.” ~Kathryn M. Schifferdecker God is full of surprises. The prophet Jeremiah got a big surprise when God called him to be a prophet to the nations. He resisted…
“I know that at times I will be troubled, I know that at times I will be belabored, I know that at times I will be disquieted, but I believe that I will not be overcome. Amen. ” ~Julian of Norwich It takes courage to live the spiritual life. It takes faith to live with…
“We humans are not so fragile as to simply be at the mercy of cause-and-effect traumas. From the standpoint of teleology, we choose our lives and our lifestyles ourselves. We have the power to do that.” ~Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga from “The Courage to be Disliked,” 104-105 Sometimes scripture can raise one’s stress level.…
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say, rejoice.”~Philippians 4:4 This Sunday we get our praise on! What a joy to worship with the theme “Praise Out Loud Together.” There is so much loud messaging during these troubled times. There are bullying tweets, there are racist chants at rallies, there are the screams of those…
“If we choose God and love God, Psalm 91 promises that we will find in God’s faithfulness our dwelling place: our shelter for safety, refuge in fear, fortress of strength. A moveable dwelling, of course, for we are called not to stand still but to venture forth.” ~Susan A. Blain We live in times that…
Through his ministry, again and again, Jesus teaches us of the marvelous transformations that can happen when we give attention to God, instead of to the thousands of distractions that society offers us.” ~Kristin Berkey-Abbott Martha has an agenda. She is in a tizzy to accomplish it. Who is she trying to impress? She has…
“I believe that Spirit is one and is everywhere present. That it never leaves me. That in my ignorance I may withdraw from it, but I can realize its presence the instant I return to my senses. It is this belief in a power larger than myself and other than myself which allows me to…
“Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house.” ~ 1 Peter 2: 5 In reflecting on this Sunday’s scripture from 1 Peter 2: 2-10 the beautiful MCCDC Peace Pole on the corner of 5th and Ridge Street NW comes to mind. It stands as a call to prayer, peace and friendship in…
