Clearing Space
Whenever I am disappointed, whether it’s with a friend, an event or how a day has turned out, I ask myself, “What were you expecting? And why?” Because that’s usually the source of my disappointment: somehow reality didn’t match my picture of how it “ought” to be. My narrow self-identity has walled me off from […]
Flourishing Communities – Aug. 19, 2022
“The movement of the Spirit of God in the hearts of men and women often calls them to act against the spirit of their times or causes them to anticipate a spirit which is yet in the making. In a moment of dedication, they are given wisdom and courage to dare a deed that challenges […]
The Burning
I’ve come to start a fire… —Luke 12:49-56, The Message In the days when a hearth fire kept the family alive, our ancestors learned to bank the fire before they went to sleep, pushing the logs and coals together to preserve the slow burning. It was important to keep it smoldering through the night, ready to […]
Living Lightly
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus urges the crowd to be ready, painting a beautiful picture of the blessings that await those who are prepared for God to show up at unexpected moments.* This exhortation comes immediately after Jesus encourages people to get rid of all their stuff. Though these are framed as separate vignettes in […]