Worship
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Psalm
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3 min read
The psalms are the odd duck of the Bible. As a book of Scripture, they stick out. They are like the weird friend who is an exceptional pianist or the anti-social kid who can make exceptional speeches. The Psalms are remarkable reading. But they aren’t a story. They don’t tell the story of creation or the birth of…
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Lessons
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3 min read
We’re in church to worship. And after the big opening, we slow it down, like the second track on an album; it’s time to have a seat, relax, and listen. Not all groups do worship the same way, but we nearly always read scripture. Arguably, it is the one constant. Even without music or prayer…
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How To Get the Most Out Of Church
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7 min read
Of course I love church. That goes without saying. But I don’t always love the church. I don’t always love the way we do church or the way we incarnate the church. It sometimes gets to me and drains me. Some of that is me. But a lot of it is the way we approach church as church members…
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Why Style is Not the Problem with Church
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2 min read
One of the easiest fights in church is over worship music. Everyone has an opinion and feels comfortable sharing it. Another is liturgical style: how we worship and the tools we use in our worship. For centuries we heard snide remarks that “smells and bells” in church was “papish” and “Roman”, spitting these claims like…
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6 Ways We Made This Easter Special
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4 min read
Every church with whom I’ve ever celebrated has made a lovely to-do about Holy Week and Easter. They all are different, which is part of the joy and excitement for me to celebrate in a new congregation. I am always excited to see how we do things here. This year was my favorite by far. Let me tell…
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Walking Between Two Worlds
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7 min read
a homily for Proper 23CText: Luke 17:11-19 If we were to take out a map to look for Jesus, where He is in the gospel, we’d find He isn’t really that far from where He started. Jesus is heading to Jerusalem, which is in Judea. Directly north of Judea is Samaria. North of that is…