March 2021

Texts: Isaiah 50:4-9a; Philippians 2:5-11; Mark 11:1-11 What was Jesus thinkingOn the road down from JerichoThat passed through Bethphage and Bethany.That led to JerusalemTo the mighty Temple  And to the Passover feast. What was Jesus thinkingAs he instructed the disciples.With familiar wordsGo, find, loosen, bring,a certain village colt.  A young beast, not yet brokenTake it with sparse […]

I always look forward to Holy Week. From Palm Sunday to Good Friday. Even as a child I did. So it’s not one of those quirky things that just comes with being a pastor. Sure, it’s a week of solemn and tragic events. But through the course of the week, as I attend to the

Texts: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 5:5-10; John12:20-33 You never know when synchronicity will happen. When things come together in unexpected ways and become an opportunity for insight. For me, it’s having the story of Jesus in the last week of his life, embracing his death, while I contemplate the last days of my own mother’s life.  There’s

Dear Beloved of God, I share with you that my mother Phyllis came to the end of her baptismal journey this past Sunday afternoon [March 14, 2021]. When the time came, she was ready to go. I am grateful for the show of support from this community: prayers for Phyllis, kind words, time saving meals

Texts: Numbers 21:4-9; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21 Over and done. The Israelites were ready to be over and done with the wilderness. They wanted rest from uproar and flight, fear and conflict. All they wanted to do was to safely touch down on the land God had promised them. But their flight from Egypt had just

Texts: Exodus 20:1-17; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; John 2:13-22 Lent is generally accepted as a time for introspection. On the surface of things it’s about the common themes of the commandments, wisdom, and worship and spiritual life. But Lent is more than a time of thoughtful study. And the driving backbeat behind the scripture texts is a

This week I learned that a pastor known to some in this congregation—Deb Benson—lost her eighteen-month battle with cancer Tuesday evening. She was a gifted colleague, friend, and all-around good person who loved God, life, and the church. Sadly, Deb was several years away from retirement and has been eagerly looking forward to that time