9/22/2020

9/18/2020

8/24/2020

8/21/2020

The lectionary texts for the month of September lend themselves to preach a mini-series or individual sermons that reflect on the theme of love: love of God, love of self, and love of others. The title of the series could be “Living Love.” Weaving the theme of love throughout the month could be a good lead up or start of a fall stewardship campaign that focuses on love.

7/21/2020

Knowing is one thing. Evidencing the knowing through living is a whole other business. My wife and I are in the season of parenting when our sons are nearing college. This means tuition payments for us, the “world is your oyster” type of speak, and the vast horizon of learning that is set before them, and the daily prayer that what we have taught, modeled, and nurtured in their hearts for nearly two decades will bear fruit in such a way that demonstrates them to be responsible young men who are loving, kind, and compassionate.

7/21/2020

I was born in Portland, Oregon, and grew up there as well. As a child raised in the Northwest, I loved the tall Douglas Fir trees, the deep green of the forests, and even the rain. (Yep, can you believe that?)

6/23/2020

6/22/2020

6/22/2020

5/19/2020

5/4/2020

After the seasons of Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, the lectionary texts for June narrate some of the ways God’s comprehensive love is displayed in the natural world, in the struggles of the matriarchs and patriarchs of the faith, in communities which grapple with life and faith, and in the calling of God upon all of creation to dispel fear with love. These sacred texts, and the Lord who speaks in and through them, draw us to deeper, wider, higher love – to welcome God and to welcome neighbor. In these challenging and unprecedented times of COVID-19, the holy God of holy Scripture reassures us that no virus can undo the viral love of the Lord.

4/20/2020

Typically, we would be celebrating graduations, gathering with friends and worshiping together. But of course, we’re in this new reality – a blend of staying home and attempting to figure out when it will be safe to leave again. It’s a strange and weird world.