For You Are With Me
This Sunday is Shepherd Sunday when the scripture readings focus us on the Good Shepherd. Psalm 23 has the stunning line “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for...
View ArticleDealing with Disgust
Disgust is one of the basic human emotions. We don’t always like to talk about it in polite company, but it doesn’t take long to think of something that we find revulsive. In some cases the feeling...
View ArticleListening to Lydia
In Acts 16, Paul had a vision of a man inviting him to come and share the gospel in Macedonia. So on the sabbath, Paul and his friends went to a place of prayer there and they promptly met…a group of...
View ArticleSinging at Midnight
On Sunday we will hear from Acts 16 about one of the times when the apostle Paul was imprisoned. Paul had interfered with the economy of certain people who profited from an enslaved girl. Paul healed...
View ArticlePause to Pray
Summer is a time of scattering — for travel, outdoor hobbies, or new rhythms. For all the beauty this season has to offer, it can also mean we miss our regular connection to community. For that...
View ArticlePause to Pray
For the month of June, on Wednesdays at noon (or as close to that time as you can manage), you’re invited to pause and pray, knowing that your St. Timothy community is praying with you. Here are some...
View ArticleGrace and Truth in a Post-Roe World
Preached at St. Timothy Lutheran on June 26, 2022. The Gospel reading was Luke 9:51-62. Good morning. Grace and peace to you from a God who created you wise and whole. Amen.In worship we reflect on...
View ArticleTwo or Three Gathered
I love Jesus’ words in Matthew 18 — “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” It is a humble, hopeful promise. When a few of us gather in Jesus’ name, we are part of the...
View ArticleWrestling with Forgiveness
Anne Lamott said someone once asked her if she was “one of those forgiving Christians.” Lamott wondered if there was some other kind? We know forgiveness is a key component in our faith (and figures...
View ArticleLaborers
In Matthew 20 we hear one of Jesus’ parables that both challenges us and brings us joy. Jesus tells of a landowner who goes to the marketplace to get laborers for the vineyard, and keeps hiring...
View ArticleVineyard Justice
In Isaiah 5, it says that God planted a vineyard and expected justice but instead saw bloodshed, and sought righteousness but instead heard a cry. When we were doing a Bible study on Isaiah last year,...
View ArticleJoy As A Practice
In Matthew 22, Jesus speaks of God’s reign as being like a banquet. We don’t always think of God in terms of feasting, but Jesus seems to believe God likes a good party. Especially when the feast can...
View ArticleBe Still, God is Re-forming Us
As we mark Reformation Sunday this weekend, we can quickly notice how God continues to re-form us in grace. Both church and society continue to be in a time of great change, so it is delicious good...
View ArticleNow and Not Yet
1 John 3 shares one of the loveliest promises to which I cling. “Beloved, we are God’s children now. What we will be has not yet been revealed.” I cling to the now and not yet promises. We gather this...
View ArticleLighting a Lamp
We often want to know what a scripture passage means. Sometimes it is enough to notice how it feels. I find this to be the case with a reading from Matthew’s gospel that we will hear this weekend....
View ArticleEnjoy Your Own Talents
One of the hardest tasks in life can be to appreciate your own gifts and talents, and sharing them where you are able. Oftentimes we compare ourselves to others, which robs us of the joy of...
View ArticleTo Be Changed in Ways You Can’t Imagine
Kathleen Norris wrote, “Prayer is not asking for what you think you want, but asking to be changed in ways you can’t imagine.” Jesus keeps giving us new ways to imagine ourselves and our world. The...
View ArticleLike Those Who Dream
“When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream” sings the psalmist, in a little bit of poetry that lights up my imagination (126:1). We were joyful, filled with laughter,...
View ArticleMerry Fleshy Christmas
“Flesh” is a funny word. It can bring up connotations of food, or medical procedure, or nakedness — all carnal images we don’t necessarily want to go together. Even the word sounds creepy-crawly if...
View ArticleCome and See!
In John 1 this Sunday, we will hear Jesus’ invitation to “Come and see.” When faced with questions from others, Jesus doesn’t try to prove a point so much as invite them to come along and explore for...
View Article
