In worship, we were given the reminder that our unruly wills and affections keep us from recognizing God’s grace at work in us and our community. Yet Christ came to help us realize God’s grace in our struggles. Our lesson from the prophet Ezekiel in Hebrew scripture recounts the interaction between God and Ezekiel at […]
We gathered today to celebrate God’s day and the fourth Sunday in Lent. We opened worship with the reminder that Jesus, the true bread that gives life, came down from heaven that we might be redeemed and restored to relationship with God. In our Hebrew scripture reading from First Samuel we heard the account of […]
Our worship began with the collect-writer remind us that God does keep our bodies and souls safe in all adversities. Likewise, God is able to protect us from evil thoughts and our being assaulted in the community in which we live. Our lesson from Hebrew scripture from Exodus was the recounting of Israel grumbling against […]
Our worship began with an affirmation that God understands our frailty and the scope of God’s graciousness for those who recognize their separation and have faith that God will provide answers when we honestly ask our questions. Our Hebrew Scripture reading from Genesis recounts God’s direction to Abram to go from his country to the […]
In worship, we began with the reminder that we, along with all creation across time, have been assaulted by temptation and the distraction of living our authentic life. Yet, not everything is doom and gloom, Jesus came to help us be restored to our right relationship with God. The lesson from Paul’s letter to the […]
Blessings to you as we begin our Lenten journey in 2023. Ash Wednesday was a rewarding time in two separate services, one at Lake Prince Woods and one at St. John’s. I am touched by the yearly reminder to “observe a holy Lent.” There is a lot of ritual and self-reflection we are invited to […]
In worship, the theme was the Transfiguration (not the Feast of the Transfiguration but reading about the Transfiguration). Our collect reminds us that we (humanity) have been shown the light of Christ on the mountain. But that wasn’t something that happened in isolation, but as a means to prepare us to carry our cross as […]
In worship we began with the reminder that our human weakness prevents us from doing good of our own volition, rather the good we do is fueled by God’s grace. And we find God’s grace by observing God’s commandments, the principles given years ago. Our reading from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians addresses the […]
Our worship opened with the reminder in the collect that our lives have been set free from sin which separates us from God. We are also reminded that we have abundance which gives us the liberty (or better, the responsibility) to make the promises of Jesus known in community. Our Epistle from today was take […]
As we embarked on our journey in worship we were reminded that God is the one who governs all things in heaven and earth. And yet, God still hears our prayers and grant us wholeness in the relationship we have with God. In our New Testament reading we heard Paul tell the Corinthians that the […]