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
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
Holy Thursday — Jesus & Judas at the Table
On this Maundy Thursday I wanted to share an image of Jesus at table with his disciples. The carving below shows?all twelve disciples -- it's a bit hard to see John, whose head is lying in Jesus' lap. What makes this depiction of the Last Supper unique is the identity of the disciple at the center … [Read more...] about Holy Thursday — Jesus & Judas at the Table
Wilderness & Temptation
I have an article about "Wilderness" over at Eerd Word. I hope you'll click over there and check it out! If you're thinking about the Temptation of Jesus this Sunday as we enter Lent, you might find some sermon fodder there. Here's a teaser from my article: Wilderness is also a place of gnawing … [Read more...] about Wilderness & Temptation
Sabbath-Keeping: A Lenten Practice
The next spiritual discipline in our Lent series is Sabbath-keeping. ?I think I'll focus on the basics: what is Sabbath and how do we keep it? The biblical exhortation to keep the Sabbath mentions the fact that God ceased working after six days and rested on the seventh. Accordingly, on the most … [Read more...] about Sabbath-Keeping: A Lenten Practice
Fasting: A Lenten Practice
On this 3rd Sunday of Lent, we looked at the Spiritual Discipline of Fasting. A member shared her experiences with fasting, after giving a bit of background to the practice. She did a great job, and I was so grateful that we could all hear her perspective. She used a few pictures too, which enhanced … [Read more...] about Fasting: A Lenten Practice
Decade by Decade: What Emerges
Our Lent theme at church is: Decade by Decade: Questions Along the Journey. Each week, in addition to the sermon, a member of the congregation is sharing a bit of their faith journey. Each week focuses on a different decade of life. My goal is to reinforce the fact that our entire life is a … [Read more...] about Decade by Decade: What Emerges