So, years ago, a couple who had been long-term friends were going through a painful divorce. I cared about both of them and tried to walk the line on staying connected to them both. At one point, the husband’s birthday and what would have been his anniversary were both coming up. I gathered up all my pastoral wisdom…and asked him to go golfing with me. (No, that wasn’t a class in seminary!)
Read MoreLast week, I tried to offer a perspective on God as a loving parent who has never wanted anything more from us than to be loved back. Having tried to find that loving relationship with human beings in almost every way imaginable, God becomes one of us—Emmanuel—in order to show us what it means to live a life of faith. Jesus cares for the sick, feeds the hungry, forgives, humbles himself and loves the seemingly unlovable. Then, he keeps saying to the people around him, “Okay, now you try!”
Read MoreI like to think of this morning’s sermon as Easter in four parts.
Read MoreCourage… Next Sunday, I will enter my 26th year of being the pastor of the Union Church, my 36th year of being a pastor. Of all the memories that I have filed in that time, the thickest file is labeled simply, “Courage.”
Read MoreNext week is Palm Sunday, the moment when Jesus and all of his followers parade to the gates of Jerusalem. If we are going to join that parade, we need to spend some time this morning connecting with the disciples and their challenges. If we hope to be disciples ourselves, then their challenges will be ours as well.
Read MoreFor years, before it was popular, I practiced social distancing in a canoe in the woods and lakes of Canada.
Read MoreHow much change can happen in one week, right? The NCAA basketball tournament is gone. The NBA is shut down. Broadway and Disneyland and South by Southwest are on hiatus. I saw lines at Heinen’s this week that were unimaginable a week ago. (I also watched the guy who saw the lines and then had his wife hold his place while he went to get a beer!) The Outreach Fundraiser is on hold…for who knows how long. And…most shockingly, it appears that I am about to become a televangelist as we livestream worship for those who are trying to be healthy at home.
Read MoreLent is a time for spiritual discipline. Some people give things up for Lent: chocolate, alcohol, swearing, meat. Some people take things on for Lent: going to special services at church; intentionally praying every day; picking a person in need and focussing on being there for them as an act of service. Somewhat in the tradition of New Year’s resolutions, the potential is there for a lot of disappointed, cranky, sugar-withdrawal driven people to be colliding with one another.
Read MoreA few weeks ago, I texted a friend about a book that I thought that she would enjoy. That’s what we do. What was unusual was what happened next. At 3:18 in the morning, I received a text back from her. I was in the deepest sleep. Somewhere far, far away, I heard the tone and it did what it always does: it yanked me straight out of bed. I was instantly wide awake. The text read: “Thanks!”
Read MoreLast week, we watched as Jesus went from the unbelievable high of his baptism to the great difficulty of life in the wilderness. We acknowledged that this is the same “roller coaster” life that we all know. What we saw, though, was that Jesus was called just as much into the wilderness as he was called to the River Jordan. God is no less present in the midst of great difficulty than God is present in life’s mountain top moments. Most of the time, when things get hard, we are so afraid or so angry or just so overwhelmed that we hardly remember to look for the God who is standing next to us.
Read MoreLast week, we watched as Jesus turned his back to Nazareth and set his sites on the River Jordan. Jesus is baptized by John, the Baptist. As Jesus resurfaces from the river, the Spirit descends like a dove and a voice speaks: “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” The singular first note of Jesus’ ministry is a thunderous note of unconditional love. This message of unconditional love leaves us totally unprepared for what comes next…
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This morning, I want to borrow from the title of a wonderful book written by Marcus J. Borg. The book was called, “Meeting Jesus Again, as if for the First Time.” That’s what we do every year at about this time: we prepare to meet Jesus once again—not the risen Christ but the earthly, Jesus. As we gaze at the horizon and see him making his way to the River Jordan, we should be asking ourselves, “Who is this man and what is he doing here?”
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