Content Warning: Stillbirth Yesterday was Good Friday. Instead of working on a sermon or reading scripture to follow Jesus along the Via Dolorosa, I spent hours on the phone with my elderly mother, trying to help her master Zoom technology. The hours felt as sacred as any Good Friday … [Read more...] about Like the First Easter
A Different Way to Get Ready to Welcome Jesus
One way to get ready to greet Jesus is to become familiar with his birthplace, Palestine. Yesterday my husband and I visited The Museum of the Palestinian People in Washington, DC. It's quite new and has just a few exhibits about the land of Palestine. It's only open for limited hours, though the … [Read more...] about A Different Way to Get Ready to Welcome Jesus
What We Plant, a sermon on Mark 4:26-34
Jesus also said, The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain … [Read more...] about What We Plant, a sermon on Mark 4:26-34
My 30th Anniversary of Ordination
This Wednesday is my 30th "Ordversary" -- or Anniversary of Ordination. I was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament on October 14, 1990. It's the kind of date I don't expect anyone else to notice. It's pure happenstance that the date falls during Clergy Appreciation Month! Years ago I … [Read more...] about My 30th Anniversary of Ordination
Blood is Thicker Than Water, a sermon for Good Friday, John 19:16-30
This is a guest post by my sister, the Rev. Susan Joy Huizenga. She preached this sermon on Good Friday (4/14/17) at the Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center; Saginaw, MI. Some of you know Susan from an earlier?post about being a living kidney donor. One day when I was about twelve years old, my sister … [Read more...] about Blood is Thicker Than Water, a sermon for Good Friday, John 19:16-30
How to Wear History: Suggestions for Churches
Some churches wear their history like a feathered cape ? with the past thrown lightly over the shoulders of the present. The past is color, context, and dramatic flair. Some churches wear their history like a shroud ? with the past draped heavily over the face of the present. The past is … [Read more...] about How to Wear History: Suggestions for Churches
Would Jesus Have Marched? Salt & Light
I have a lectionary essay on Matthew 5:13-20 over at Journey with Jesus. … [Read more...] about Would Jesus Have Marched? Salt & Light
Church Clutter
Clutter-free spaces communicate hospitality. The hotel industry understands this. Unfortunately, many churches don't. Does any of this sound familiar? ~ The pulpit shelves hold several burned-out candle lighters -- although everyone knows they are trash. ~ The library has Christian Education … [Read more...] about Church Clutter
Memorial Service Liturgy
My father wrote the liturgy for his memorial service many years before his death. Working with it after he died, I felt very close to him. As a pastor, I have planned and conducted many funerals. Years ago Dad told me he wanted to prepare his own memorial service liturgy, and asked me to send him a … [Read more...] about Memorial Service Liturgy
The Body of Christ is Both Tough & Fragile
When I was in seminary I was taught: Small churches are tough. You can't beat them to death with a stick!? I believed that truism, and repeated it to others. Now I have fresh experience that allows me to see the backside of that truism, which is also true: Small churches are fragile. So far in my … [Read more...] about The Body of Christ is Both Tough & Fragile
Is That You, Jesus? Thoughts on Immigration
Why do so many Christians resist welcoming the Syrian refugees? I am baffled by this. Embracing the stranger is an essential Christian teaching. You might say that hospitality is in the Christian DNA. (A few supporting texts:?here and here and here.) I am a?Protestant who has learned to appreciate … [Read more...] about Is That You, Jesus? Thoughts on Immigration
A Peculiar Energy, Even as the Congregation Dies
For the last few Sundays I've filled the pulpit for a small church that has lost its critical mass. Attendance has dwindled to a faithful few, all of whom are running out of energy. Not a happy situation. Still, when I enter the church building, I feel a sense of welcome and warmth from the folks … [Read more...] about A Peculiar Energy, Even as the Congregation Dies