Pastor’s Blog
Welcome to the Pastor’s Blog. Here you will find our pastors’ reflections on scripture, culture, and the life of discipleship. If a particular blog gets you thinking, consider sharing it with a friend. Thanks for being here!
Running on Empty
Gravestone rolled away, the emptiness of the tomb was not a lack but the fulfillment of an earlier promise: “I came so that you could have life and have it fully” (John 10:10). His life laid down—emptied—so that ours would be made full. Having encountered the risen Christ, Mary can’t help but run to tell the others, “I have seen the Lord!” She was *running on empty*, her heart and her legs propelled forward not by fear of lack, but by the Good News of the tomb’s emptiness.
Going Around In Circles
With the cyclical nature of the church’s liturgical year, we come around to the same stories of our faith over and over again. There’s something beautiful about the stories of our faith being so constant—so reliable. And, I sometimes wonder if the going-around-in-circles disenchants us from just how powerful and incredible this Story really is.
All Rise: The Clash of Two Powers
“All rise!” Through the ministry of Jesus and his disciples, the Kingdom of God was on the rise in and around the region of Galilee. But there was another power at work in the region. Rome was also on the rise. These two powers would come to clash in what became the single-most signifiant event in history: the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Holy Night
For centuries, darkness has played the antagonist in the advent story and in our society. In the scriptures, darkness represents the formless void that existed before God ordered the world in Goodness. Darkness represents death and suffering and sin and hopelessness. In our society, darkness is often a symbol of despair and sadness. More physically, darkness is cause for fear and uncertainty. We night-light our bedrooms to scare away the monsters that only come out at night; we run up the basement stairs as quickly as possible; our streets are aglow with the light of overhead lamps and headlights. We more often see darkness as a foe to fight off than a gift to receive gratefully. Even so, perhaps sometimes darkness gets a bad wrap.
The Dawn Chorus: Greeting the Morning Light
Songbirds all around the world know a thing or two about singing into the dark. In the early hours of the morning, before the sun appears over the horizon, songbirds from robins and wrens to larks and nightingales begin a symphony that scientists call the “dawn chorus.” Humble and low, dawn choruses usually begin quietly in the dark with only a few voices. Soon the early birds are joined by others, and then others, until their song greets the morning light. Advent is the Church’s dawn chorus. The season starts in the silence, in the shadows, and looks to the Light.
It Would Have Been Enough
Each year during the Passover seder, our Jewish sisters and brothers retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt, acknowledging God’s kindness and faithfulness to the Jewish people throughout history. Traditionally, part of their remembrance includes singing a song in Hebrew titled Dayenu (Hebrew: דַּיֵּנוּ), translated as ”it would have been enough.”
Hooked: Fish Stories from the Bible
This Fall we’re diving into a new worship series called “Hooked: Fish Stories from the Bible,” and while these stories are certainly surprising—miraculous even—they are TRUE tall tales! Join us each week to encounter how Christ teaches, provides, and grows his movement through fish!
Homeward Bound
What a summer! Back in June we packed our bags in a sermon series called “Suitcase.” From packing light to claiming our unattended baggage and leaving other baggage behind, we wrestled with how we ought to carry our spiritual baggage. Then in July we set out on the road together, traveling “Into the Wild” to “Encounter God through the National Parks.” It’s been fun exploring God’s wild and wonderful creation together! But every good road trip must come to an end. With all this time on the road this summer, it’s time to return home. Join us in August for a four-week sermon series called “Homeward Bound” as we trace the theme of “home” throughout the Bible.
How Great Thou Art: The Art of Holy Week
God is endlessly creative, and in creative love, God designed the world. As part of that design, God brought together the gifts of creativity, joy, and imagination into a special means of worship: ART. Long after the dawn of creation, God is still creating the world, touching up places here and there, making the world more vivid with every brushstroke, and inviting you to participate in the artistry of it all.
The Thrill of Hope
Like the star over Bethlehem, hope has a way of guiding us in the direction of God’s promises. So if it’s Jesus we’re seeking, then following Hope is perhaps the best place to begin our journey. This Advent, open your heart to the possibility of Christ’s birth surprising you with joy so that you might rediscover THE THRILL OF HOPE! Come, O long-expected Jesus! “Let all within us praise His holy name!”
Keep Dancing! Christ Is Still Risen!
Our celebration of Easter needs to look like Dance Marathon… It’s a marathon, not a sprint. The celebration doesn’t end the day after Easter. This side of Christ’s resurrection, EVERY DAY is Easter! So keep dancing! The more signs of resurrection we see, the more we need to dance. And the more we dance, the more this world will look like a new creation.
Graves Into Gardens
Our resurrected Savior is in the business of tending, nurturing, and restoring all of creation. God is the best and essential Gardener of the world and is still in the business of bringing dead things back to life. If we’ll trust God even with the seemingly dead areas of our lives–if we believe in the power of resurrection–then what was once barren and dead will come to life again. Through Christ, all that is grim and cold, haunting, eerie, and dark is being transformed into something vibrant, warm, abundant, nourishing, and flourishing with life. Through Christ, graves are transforming into gardens!
New Year Devotional
Setting goals for a new year is an important discipline so that we’re intentional about prioritizing the right things in the coming year. But how do we know if what we’re prioritizing is “right” or faithful?
What Does the Bible Say about Freedom?
At its heart, Christianity is about acknowledging we need help. That we need each other. That we need a Savior. Our faith—and our country—is founded on the idea that life is most abundant when individuals and groups work cooperatively with one another to achieve a way of living that honors everyone. But even though independence isn’t necessarily a biblical principle, freedom definitely is. In fact, freedom is central to the bible.
Out of the Ashes Beauty Will Rise
Soil and ash. At creation’s dawn, fathomed but not yet formed, humankind awaited God’s creative labors. Taking the dust of the earth and animating it with divine breath, God’s Spirit stirred up soil and ash into life, gave that life a purpose (i.e. to love), and called it “good.” Now, all these years later, though, our lives don’t always feel “good” nor are our hearts always set on love.
What Will Heaven Be Like?
As a pastor, I am often asked, “What will heaven be like?” In attempting to answer it, I’ve realized that people are really asking, “What will happen after we die?” Even though I am rarely able to paint a clear enough picture to satisfy the curiosity of the one asking, I learned long ago that it is a question I need to have an answer for, if for no other reason than to begin teaching what I am certain heaven is not.
A Way in the Wilderness
In the winter—with a blowing wind and a warming sun—tracks are a fleeting thing… a momentary glimpse into where something has been and where it’s headed. Just as we experience these snapshots of past and future in the snow, we encounter them in our own lives: passing moments of awareness of where we’ve been and where we’re going.
The Longest Night… of the Longest Year
Advent is a season of waiting. Hallmark, the nostalgic Christmas songs on the radio, and even the church lead us to believe our waiting should be full of excitement and unending joy. But for many people, that expectation doesn’t acknowledge the reality of tragedy and suffering in their lives. The truth is, waiting isn’t always joyful and triumphant.
The Light of the World: The History and Symbolism of the Advent Wreath
With so many traditions around the holidays, sometimes the story behind each tradition gets lost. For almost two centuries now, Christians have counted down the weeks leading to Christ’s birth with the lighting of an advent wreath. The symbolism of the candles and wreath remind us why Jesus came into the world: to bring light into darkness.
Hark!
“Hark!” It’s a word we hear a lot this time of year, but probably not one you find yourself using on a daily basis. The word “Hark!” is an old English term meaning “to pay close attention,” and it’s often said as a command. Put in modern terms, it translates something like: “Hey, listen up, y’all… I’m ‘bout to say something important!” Often preceding a direct message from God, this call to attention prepares hearts and minds to receive divine news.