Lord, teach me. . . .

Memories of our lives, of our works and deeds, will continue in others. –Rosa Parks In the States, this weekend marks Memorial Day, when we pause to remember all who gave their lives fighting for this country. It’s an important time, and an important thing to do. But for churches, it can be difficult. It can be hard on veterans who made it home, but left fellow soldiers behind. It can be difficult to listen to the stories of battles won and lives lost. It can be a challenge to find ways to remember and honor these soldiers without glorifying the violence and wars they participated in, especially as history calls into question the necessity of going into such a war in the first place. As we pause to reflect and remember this weekend, I am suggesting this approach: Pause and remember the soldiers who gave their lives out of love; look around in your life for ways you can reflect a love for God that goes beyond any other love. Then give thanks for the soldiers w...

There is nothing worse than doing nothing and saying nothing  when your voice is needed. –Soledad O’Brien As a church, we are called to be open and inviting. After all, we say, Jesus was welcoming to everyone , and we should be, too. Many churches fly a rainbow flag out front to affirm their commitment to being open to anyone who is curious about the One we worship and wants to join us in our time together. But as followers of the Christ, there are definite times we need to Just Say No. Some things, some behaviors are simply incompatible with the Reign of God in the world. As our faith grows stronger, our voices should grow louder. The things which surely break God’s heart should cause our hearts to hurt, as well; empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can and should call these things out and work to eliminate them in our communities. Just Say No . No to injustice. No to discrimination based on race, gender or any other perceived reason. No to cruelty. No to n...

Be faithful in small things, because it is in them that your strength lies. –Mother Teresa It happens to me all the time, and I bet it happens to you, too. I’m running late, and I really dislike running late. I race around like a madwoman, grab my things and blow out the door, rolling my eyes in disgust. There is no way I am going to be on time. Ack! But as I begin the drive, I notice: traffic seems lighter than expected. I’m hitting every single light—green. And as I pull into the parking lot, there’s a space waiting for me , right up front. I glance at my watch. Somehow, I’m not late. I’m not even on time. I am early ! And then—I just can’t help it—I give thanks: for the traffic, the green lights, the parking space. My eyes roll (again), and I go through my usual monologue with God, because I am acutely aware that every green light for me meant a red light for many of God’s other children. So my monologue usually goes something like this: God, I really...

For where God built a church, there the devil would also build a chapel.  –Martin Luther When was the last time you were up late Saturday night, and stopped for a moment to wonder: Why do I get up so early on Sunday, just to go to church? After all, we live in an age where people no longer claim a religious faith. Many classify themselves as Nones (having no preferred belief), or SBNR (Spiritual, But Not Religious). We joke about God meeting us on the golf course during the week, or reflect on times when we felt so close to the Universe—and we were miles and miles away from any church building. It was Solomon, a man of great wisdom, who built an astonishing temple for the Lord God; yet at its dedication, Solomon proclaimed, “The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built?” ( 1 Kings 8:27 ) So why do we do this? Why do we build amazing edifices, dedicate them to God, and trek for miles to meet there if we ...

Abundance is not something we acquire; it is something we tune into. –Wayne Dyer The Psalmist in the Bible regularly speaks with great awe about the generous heart of the Lord. Most memorably, in Psalm 23, he writes: My cup overflows! These words reminded me of when I was little, and Mom would come around with milk or Kool-Aid and tell us to say “when.” She would pour slowly, waiting for us to speak that magic word. Sometimes we would actually say when ; other times, we would giggle and watch, and see if Mom would stop if we didn’t tell her to. I can remember her carefully pouring until physics kicked in, and the surface tension made the liquid stretch above the rim of the glass, just a bit. Oh, the challenge of getting that very full glass to our lips without spilling! But every once in a while, she’d overshoot, and bright red liquid would dribble over the side onto the table (or our laps). It happened so unexpectedly, sort of—after all, why would we ever think Mom...

Unable to perceive the shape of You, I find You all around me. Your presence fills my eyes with Your love, it humbles my heart, for You are everywhere.  –Guillermo del Toro Sometimes, we as Christ followers can get so caught up in having a “personal relationship with Jesus” that we can shrink God down to a pocket-sized god. We want to have a friend in Jesus, to have a Lord that walks with me and talks with me in intimate communion. That’s certainly one way to relate to the Almighty, but there’s so much more . Stop for a minute and think about God. Try, even for a minute, to wrap your human mind around the idea of God who is everything—and more besides . God who has been around before time, is around now, and will be around after time no longer exists. God whose very existence and essence is Love—for all of Creation . No exclusions. God who, even on your very worst day, when you feel ugly inside and out, looks at you with adoring eyes and actually wants you t...

How strange this fear of death is! We are never frightened at a sunset. –George MacDonald I learned something interesting earlier this week: Costco, home of just about everything your heart could desire, also sells . . . caskets. The most popular one starts around $1300, and they will even expedite shipping for your convenience. (Thanks, Molly Baskette!) Interesting that finally, it seems, we have begun to treat death as a normal part of living, isn’t it? And yet—do we, really? As Easter has come and gone again; we have rejoiced at Christ’s deliverance from and victory over death. But have we truly allowed ourselves to be changed by this victory? Once the final Hallelujah has been sung and we have gone home with our lilies and tulips, once the family goes their separate ways and our day-to-day tasks resume, do we do any of these things any differently? Even with a promise of eternity, we still seem awfully fond of this life, don’t we? We celebrate when we get a ra...