I know. It's counter intuitive. One shouldn't rush a season of waiting and anticipation, but it's 2020. Everything is different. I think the liturgical police can take a break this year. Advent officially begins on Sunday, but I've already dropped TWO Advent episodes of the Bible Stories for Big Kids podcast. (BTW: You're a big kid.) The first goes with the Narrative Lectionary scripture for the first Sunday of Advent. ...
Read More
This week, we looked at the story of the call of Isaiah. You can listen to it on Bible Stories for Big Kids by clicking the button below or wherever you get your podcasts. https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Qy6EHNijJ42nYqbxXYpTq?si=9cGofKATQzG2Sh3LJiaIhA Here are a few of my thoughts. It's not fair to compare ourselves to Isaiah (I mean, I never got an visions of winged creatures or heard the voice of God). But even if we don't ...
Read More
This week's Narrative Lectionary scripture passage is just what we need to hear this week. If you haven't listened to this week's Bible Stories for Big Kids, you can listen wherever you get your podcasts or at the link below. Then checkout my message below. May we all find ways to move forward together as a community and a country. Jonah and American Ninevites https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0FZS-NdqPs&t=3s
Read More
This week we're looking at the story of the Golden Calf--or what happens when people get tired of waiting and wandering the desert. None of us like to wait. And most of us do not wait well--which explains a lot about some of the bad behavior we've seen from people during the last six months. We know a little bit about what the children of Israel were feeling. It's ...
Read More
This week the Promises Kept series was all about Abraham's backstory--or the prequel, if you will. Here's a recap of all things Abraham. If you haven't listened to this week's episode of the new podcast, get the story here. Counting Stars Here's the "official" Abraham playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2XVV8cBSELvgEAcXnzjc7x?si=uuUbTHFiRU-Abh2NPtAOyg This week's message. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOnExiF0DZ0 I hope you feel you know a little more about Abraham and have found some encouragement in this story of ...
Read More
Remember the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den?It's not really about the lionsWhat landed Daniel in that den was his defiant act of prayerPrayer that was illegalDone right in an open window where everyone could see A subversive act of resistance that testified to allThat his God was greater than the king.That his God was more powerful than any empire.That his God was worth risking the lions for.And it is ...
Read More
I am not very good at quoting scripture chapter and verse, but I know my Bible stories. It might have something to do with being an only child in an era before cell phones and the internet and having a mom who made sure I had a TON of Bible story books. As the country begins to open up, and we're all having to discern how to move back ...
Read Morehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV8wFANocHY All of you probably know at least something about Zacchaeus. You may be familiar with the song above. If you are of a certain age and grew up in church, you may be able to picture your Sunday school teacher placing the flannel figure of a little man up in a flannel tree on a flannel board. Maybe you really don’t know much about Zacchaeus, but somewhere, sometime, you heard ...
Read More
God was lonely. That’s the problem with being THE God. It’s not like being one of the gods of Mount Olympus where you could always find another god or goddess to wrestle for power or to go grab a drink with. THE God is all alone. Even though THE God dwells in community as the Holy Trinity, each of the members is really still God…but not God…but still God. Mystery ...
Read More
Beyond his Holy Week famous and oft-quoted line (slightly paraphrased), "I wash my hands of the whole thing," how much do you really know about Pilate? Here are five things you may not know about the man who sent Jesus to his death. One: Pilate's wife, Procula, is a canonized Saint in the Orthodox Church. The basis of this canonization is mainly found in Matthew 27: 19, in which she shared ...
Read More