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Texts: Isaiah 35:4-7a; James 2:1-10[11-13] 14-17, Mark 7:24-37
It’s all about miracles today. Like God giving the Edomites their due recompense for oppressing the Israelites, and God’s leading of Israel out of captivity in Babylon. As Isaiah proclaims, there’s nothing quite like the power of God for making things happen. Blind people see, deaf people hear, lame people leap, mute people sing out, and waters rise in dry places. Same thing for the Gospel: there goes Jesus, healing the child of a Gentile woman; healing a deaf mute man.
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Texts: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9; James 1:17-27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15. 21-23
If you’ve ever travelled on the London Underground you’ve heard the safety announcement to “mind the gap.” It refers to the gap caused by curving station platforms and straight train cars, and variations in the levels of train cars and platforms. It’s a common problem. A Pastoral Reflection, Pentecost Week Fourteen, A Second Summer of Pandemic Living — August 27, 20218/28/2021 So here we are finally, moving (slowly and carefully) toward resuming worship. It’s going to take time before we’re completely there. And some of you are not ready to return, for very good reasons. We understand.
Texts: Joshua 24:1-2a; Ephesians 6:10-20; John 6:56-69
The start of the school year is just around the corner. I can’t help but think of many teachers who prompted, prodded, and led me along the pathway of learning. Many of them are only a dim memory but a few really stand out. A Pastoral Reflection, Pentecost Week Thirteen, a Second Summer of Pandemic Living — August 20, 20218/21/2021 When the world seems like it’s unravelling (I’m thinking of Haiti, Afghanistan, and of course, the pandemic) It can help to pay attention to good news. In this way we can lean into bad news and know that it’s not the only news out there. And wasn’t Jesus all about good news?
Text: Proverbs 9:1-6; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58
It’s been interesting to watch how our islands have changed over the past eighteen months. In particular the business districts of the three main islands are not the same now as they were. Businesses have closed.Some new ones have opened. Others have remained in operation the whole time but are doing business differently these days. A Pastoral Reflection, Pentecost Week Twelve, A Second Summer of Pandemic Living, August 13, 20218/14/2021 I like the word navigating. It’s a word that suggests setting a course with the best skills we have from getting from here to there. At the same time, it acknowledges that our usual maps may not be completely up to date. There could be complications, detours, delays, perhaps dragons of various kinds.
Texts: 1 Kings 19:4-8; Ephesians 4:25 – 5:2; John 6:35, 41-51
I’ve met a lot of interesting people in my life. Just now I’m recalling a couple whom I knew over thirty years ago. They were part of the first congregation I ever served and I was invited many times to their home to share memorable meals with them. Karol was a gentle, quiet man, while Alida was a wiry, energetic woman who loved to cook for people. A Pastoral Reflection, Pentecost Week Eleven, A Second Summer of Pandemic Living, August 6, 20218/7/2021 The ferry workers were having a Very Bad Day when we tried to get off the island for the dog’s oncology appointment the last week of July. You know how it goes. The early ferry was full. (On a Wednesday, at 5:00 a.m.? Really?) And we didn’t get on. The next one didn’t have enough crew and left an hour late.
Texts: Exodus 16:2-4. 9-15; Ephesians 4:1-16; John 6:24-35
Whether you use social media or not you may have heard of the Darwin awards. Photos are posted of people doing things that are clearly not wise. Like the guy stretching his hand out toward the nose of a bison in Yellowstone National Park like you would when approaching an unfamiliar dog. |
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The Rev. Beth Purdum Eden is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church. She has served in more than 6 parishes in the Western United States for 30 years. Archives
September 2021
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