Crossing the threshold toward restoration
Our work is to place our “no’s” at the threshold, and give them to God, fully release and open them to God’s creative work. This can be hard work, for we often feel defeated and overwhelmed with our own “no’s” or those society says to us. But God’s “yes” is waiting for us.
Seasons of Creation #2: Humanity — to rule or serve?
Mo. Barbara — Introduction We gather again today for our Seasons of Creation worship series to continue our exploration of the relationship between God – the source of all holiness and creativity – the created world, and humankind. Today we specifically examine the relationship of humanity to God and the relationship among and between humans. Now if I were choosing the lessons for today from an ecological stewardship perspective, which is the lens through which the Seasons of…
Seasons of Creation #1: Earth. In the beginning, God …
How we define our origin story matters. If we find ourselves telling our narratives beginning with a God in relationship with us who is loving, attentive, and creative, then our life will unfold in a more loving, attentive, and creative way, and we find we are then bearing the image of God into the world with faithfulness. Our lives can be messy along the way; it can feel chaotic and out of control; it can yearn for certainty and order and when we find that desire thwarted by the creative force of God, it can feel very disorienting. But this is also a most alive place to be, for it is one when we are often most open to love, most able to live into the source of inspiration, most able to see the doors flung open around us, most able to see the God within.
Proper 19 Year B – Take up your cross
People were saying all kinds of things about Jesus. People always have, and will continue to say all sorts of things about Jesus. The disciples report on the word from the street. “Some say you’re John the Baptist, come back to life. Others think you’re the great prophet Elijah, returned. And some others think you are another in the line of our great prophets.” All their answers suggest that most Galileans think Jesus is the forerunner of the Messiah. That’s a safe bet. It’s easier to believe a Messiah will come, than to believe one has come. A Messiah yet to come makes no demands, calls for no change.
Jesus listens, just taking in the disciples’ report. Then he looks at them and says, “But who do you say that I am?”
Can’t you just see it? The disciples’ heads all drop, eyes to the ground, and they intently begin to study their feet. No one wants to be the first to make eye contact with Jesus.
Well, there always comes a time when what other people think and say is just not enough. It’s Peter who finds his voice. He has allowed God to show him in his soul who Jesus is, so he breaks the awkward silence and speaks his truth: “You are the Messiah”.
More than enough. Proper 18 Year B
Though we may find grief is at our core, often it is unchecked assumptions about how life should be, or our childhood beliefs about what is right and wrong, or our privileged status, or the way we expect our lives to turn out, or our own agenda. Regardless, it asks us to join with God to build a life larger than that within us which can consume our lives.
“Abide in me and I in them” – Proper 16 Year B
“God is love. God is good. Let us thank God for our food. By innumerable hands we all are fed. Give us, Lord, our daily bread.
Wisdom, like grace, comes unbidden. Proper 15 Year B
Wisdom, like grace, comes unbidden, often when we expect it least. We may suddenly see with clarity our next step forward that takes us beyond our own desires, our own selves, for with new eyes, we see differently our part in the emerging wholeness or completeness of a situation that previously had been beyond our reach. Wisdom, like grace, can be asked for and given to us by God, as in the reading this morning from the Hebrew Bible, when…
We are members of one another. Proper 14 Year B
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church The Rev. Barbara Hutchinson Seven years ago, when I was interviewing here at St. Andrew’s, the Search Committee had written a marvelous Parish Profile for all perspective applicants, outlining a lively commitment to outreach, a devotion to worship, and ongoing opportunities for both children’s and adult formation. I pored over the material, absorbing it like it was the very air I was breathing, circling the phrases and sections I was most drawn toward, and writing in…
Thanks-giving. Proper 13 Year B
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church The Rev. Barbara Hutchinson Proper 13 Year B August 5, 2018 In our Epistle this morning, we hear the proclamation and directive to “Live a life worthy of our calling”. Understanding what our calling is, as individuals and as parish members as well as part of the larger Body of Christ, seems to be a necessary first step to doing this. Let’s begin this exploration with Frederick Buechner’s famous line that states “The place God calls…