Blog (Page 30)
My Chosen One(s)
March 29 Readings – IS 42:1-7; JN 12:1-11 These readings offer us a very powerful start to Holy Week. Just as a suggestion, if you are able to, perhaps take a little more time this week – for stillness, for prayer, for reflection – to take in the richness in of what we are entering into. In the reading from Isaiah, I’d direct our attention to the words that are spoken (and we hear said by God at Jesus’ baptism):…
Jesus’ Parade
March 28 Readings – Palm Sunday (MK 14:1—15:47) In recent years, some historical theologians have started to call Palm Sunday the “tale of two parades.” On the West side of Jerusalem during Passover, the Romans had a parade that highlighted their might and power. It was meant to send a strong signal to the Jews that their occupiers were not going anywhere. On the East side of Jerusalem, Jesus had his own parade which was meant to be a public…
The People United
March 27 Readings – EZ 37:21-28; JN 11:45-56 I have been reading a bit more in recent years about the life and work of Fred Hampton. Hampton was a 21 year old leader in the Black Panther Party in Chicago and was an amazing thinker, organizer and strategist. Hampton, while unapologetically upholding the Black freedom struggle, also saw the intersections between that struggle and other struggles for housing, medical care, living wage jobs and political rights. He started to build…
Tension and Decision
March 26 Readings – JER 20:10-13; JN 10:31-42 Lately I have been reading Jon Meacham’s biography of John Lewis titled His Truth is Marching On. I have been so inspired by John Lewis’ deep faith from such a young age and his willingness to suffer for the cause of civil rights. He saw it as his duty as a disciple to put his body on the line, say what needed to be said and be willing to suffer for the…
Overshadowed
March 25 Readings: Is 7:10-14; 8:10; Heb 10:4-10; Lk 1:26-38 Today we celebrate the feast of the Aunnunciation – when the angel Gabriel came to Mary and invited her into her role as the mother of Jesus. There is so much in this reading that we could focus our reflections on (in fact, entire books have been written on this passage alone) but here are a few things that stand out for me: When God comes to announce something, there’s…
Foreign Gods
March 24 Readings – DN 3:14-20, 91-92, 95; JN 8:31-42 Our first reading today is a famous one of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego surviving the fiery furnace. They are in there, however, because they refused to worship a foreign god. In the gospel, Jesus is squaring off with the crowd and calling them to task for their anger and intent to harm him. They say he’s not a legitimate messenger from God and that they follow Abraham. Jesus makes no…
Whoever Looks At It WIll Live
March 23 Readings – NM 21:4-9; JN 8:21-30 In an earlier blog (3/14), I referenced the reading that we hear today in Numbers. The Israelites are in the desert having been led out of slavery. And they complain because there’s no food or water. God gets angry and sends serpents to bite them, and many die (there’s obviously a lot about God’s parenting that needs to be unpacked in the scriptures…). The Israelites see the error of their ways, repent…
On Throwing Stones
Note: Today’s blog post was written by Lauren Urzetta Frye and our Junior and Senior High Youth Groups utilizing their reflections on the readings. March 22 Readings: Dn 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 and Jn 8:1-11 This past Sunday I had the privilege and blessing to gather with our Junior High and Senior High teens at our “Bounce Back” retreat at Seneca Park. It was a beautiful day filled with sunshine, laughter, and smiles, and the teens finally had an opportunity…
The Grain of Wheat
March 21 Readings – JER 31:31-34; HEB 5:7-9; JN 12:20-33 I love the first reading from Jeremiah where we are told that God is making a new covenant with the people. Unlike the prior covenant, this covenant will be “written on their hearts” and will emerge from within people. For me this reflects deep spiritual development. Generally when we are starting something, we often need a good deal of structure in order to “learn”. The teaching comes from the outside. …
The Reality of Hate
March 20 Readings – JER 11:18-20; JN 7:40-53 Today’s readings are not easy ones. They are filled with the toxicity that can arise within the human heart. While we are creatures that can rise to amazing goodness, humans can also get pretty nasty. Today we hear stories of angry people plotting against Jeremiah and Jesus. Nicodemus (the religious leader who visited Jesus at night) tries to defend Jesus only to become a similar target. I often think of the Mark…
Thinking About Joseph
March 19 Readings: 2 Sm 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22; Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a Today’s readings mark the feast of St. Joseph. Joseph is always an interesting character to consider and he appears in the gospels of Luke and Matthew (which we read today). While the two versions emphasize different things, there are some consistencies: He is engaged to Mary who is found “to be with child” and he remains with her anyway even though the law would…
Bring Your Full Self
March 18 Readings – EX 32:7-14; JN 5:31-47 In our first reading, we meet a bold Moses! God is getting ready to strike down the people because they have been unruly and disrespectful as they started worshipping the golden calf. Moses says, “Hey, hey, Big Guy, take it easy…Remember what you promised us…” So God thinks it over and changes God’s mind. Apparently it would have been in bad taste to destroy one’s own people in the middle of the…