If you've ever been part of a church I pastored, you've probably heard this song at Christmas. https://youtu.be/iPnzywnr2LA?si=z3SGYWT8AiZ9ko7z A song about Christians and pagans may seem an odd choice for a pastor, but the theology in this song is right up my alley. Christmas is like solstice, and we miss you and it's been awhile. It reminds us that we have more in common than we often believe, and ...
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Advent is almost upon us. What are your plans? Find some ideas below. Want a more holy Advent? It's as easy as 3, 2, 1! (Okay, that may be an oversimplification, but it is a pretty easy, yet effective, approach) https://youtu.be/R0fIzeBF5DA?si=mTVwHhnEHJNKQlWk Need some ideas for your Advent spiritual discipline? Here you go. https://youtu.be/izV41yoYGvI?si=q5sVHYZVswh1cYlu And don't forget to make use of this free resource from Beyond Sunday. https://youtu.be/yXmBoNS44Lo?si=EFmeqs34xrNWbBIu Wishing you a happy and meaningful ...
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Make your holiday a happy one. Based on my experience and extensive research, here are the top 10 questions to avoid this Thanksgiving Day. So, who did you vote for? When are you two getting married?When are you gonna have a kid/another kid or when are you gonna stop having kids? (basically stay away from all talk of people's sex lives and reproductive choices)Do you have a job yet?How can you ...
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My friend and colleague, Rev. Kelly Fitzgerald, and I have put together a FREE resource for families to use at home this Advent, and here's five reasons I'm excited about it. It's Not a To-Do List This is a not a devotion-a-day resource where you have to commit to gathering your family together in the same place at the same time every day while you read and reflect on scripture ...
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It’s no accident that Reformation Day and Halloween fall on the same day. It was actually by design. The 31st of October was the night before All Saints Day and came to be known as All Hallows Eve—the origin of our Halloween. It was a time when people were particularly focused on remembering their loved ones who had died—and being worried about their loved one’s souls. Early on in the life of ...
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You were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only don’t let this freedom be an opportunity to indulge your selfish impulses, but serve each other through love. Galatians 5:13 If you follow me at all you know that my unofficial tagline is: a faith that struggles with questions is always stronger than one that never asks any. Did you realize that our national anthem—the one that’s so hard to sing—ends in a ...
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https://open.spotify.com/episode/4eAitdqpo0GjlsaliGL5Vg?si=ae02d7a935a14a2e Here we get our first glimpse of the disciples gathered together after the resurrection. All in all, not a very pretty picture. Near the end of his life, Jesus had carefully prepared his disciples to be a devoted and confident fellowship of faith. They were to be a community of love whose doors were always open and the welcome mat always out, but here we find them barricaded in a ...
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Friends, Easter is not one day. It's an entire season. Eastertide runs from Easter Sunday through Pentecost, so we have plenty of time to celebrate, access and revel in the new life that is ours through the risen Christ. I believe in Easter. I believe in the Resurrection and the Life. I believe that God loved us enough to become one of us, to walk among us, to die for us and ...
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Very early in the morning on the first day of the week, the women went to the tomb, bringing the fragrant spices they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 They didn’t know what to make of this. Suddenly, two men were standing beside them in gleaming bright clothing. 5 The women were frightened and bowed their ...
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It's Epiphany! The day that we celebrate the mysterious wise men who come from the East to visit the Baby Jesus. Herod tries to trick them into revealing the location of this baby whom he believes threatens his empire, but we know that the wisemen were warned in a dream to avoid Herod and go home by another way. That must have taken some courage. After all, they could have ...
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At Christmas, we get all caught up with the great story of the star and the shepherds and the inn with now room and the baby born in a barn. We forget about those people who were waiting. The ones who were so desperately waiting for the messiah. We forget how tangible the expectation was for the messiah to come. Anna and Simeon were just two of the people ...
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It's Gaudate Sunday, when we light the candle of Joy. It is traditionally the Sunday that we celebrate Mary's response to the news that she is going to carry the child of God. Gaudate is Latin for rejoice. It's a good time to remember that if Mary can recognize God's blessings in the midst of finding out that she's an unwed pregnant teenager in an age where they could ...
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This year, Trinity Sunday (where we celebrate the three-in-one nature of our God) is part of a three-in-one Sunday. https://youtu.be/BbBXtRgu0KY
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He is Risen! He is Risen indeed! https://youtu.be/0_g65Zl1mCc Here's a great non-traditional Easter hymn to set you off on your journey through Eastertide to the celebration of Pentecost. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOVgZGzJ1kk
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Spoiler Alert: St Patrick's Day was not originally a celebration of beer. It would be more appropriate to drink a lot of beer to celebrate Benjamin Franklin who is credited with saying: Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Ben Franklin St. Patrick's Day is the feast day of, well, St. Patrick--the man who brought Christianity to Ireland. He actually first went to Ireland ...
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Tonight begins the Jewish festival of Purim--a celebration of the story of Esther. I did a special Purim edition of Bible Stories for Big Kids, and I'm sharing some other Esther resources here. https://open.spotify.com/episode/60GqUfaUkGdVpLTOVhEVyA?si=CgILvGOBTkKwyUL3D_qCmw Vashti (who doesn't have a very big role) is my favorite character. https://www.tiktok.com/@revanneruss/video/6933276412979825925?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KpdYk_hPhI&t=312s Happy Purim to all who celebrate!
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Here's a Lenten ritual you can adapt to use at home--no matter where home is or what the weather is like. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeJWYjareBQ&t=24s Lent on Lockdown Starts Wednesday. Join us! Learn More
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2021 is all about encouragement at Doubting Believer. In this world of emails, social media and Zoom calls, a piece of handwritten snail mail can provide quite the boost for the recipient, and requires very little effort on the part of the sender. Take the challenge to send ten snail mail letters to people and let them know why you love/admire/appreciate them. Trust me. It will mean a lot. #febsnailmail #loveletterchallenge February-EncouragementDownload Been ...
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Feel Good Friday #130--Christmas Day Edition One of my favorite people in the world has more degrees than I can count. Robert is not only a pastor, he's also a professor. One time he was teaching a Bible class on Luke 2 at a local university, he gave his class a primer on shepherds and how they weren’t nearly as pristine as our nativity scenes would have us believe. They were ...
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Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and better days ahead. https://youtu.be/VHa4pxgBjk0
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It’s an under-rated, under-utilized hymn. To tell the truth, I’d never paid much attention to it until this year, when it really struck a chord (no pun intended…unless you like that sort of thing) with me. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear was written in 1849 by a Unitarian pastor in Wayland, Massachusetts. What is different about this carol is that only the first verse speaks of what happened on the night ...
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It's the question on everyone's minds and lips. What are you doing for Christmas this year? We know what we want to do for Christmas. We want to do what we've done every year. To engage in the traditions we've devoted ourselves to since before we can remember. To take the annual family picture. To adhere to our own tribe's strict present opening timelines and rituals. To eat the ...
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Who says that? Who thinks that? The shopping malls and the spinning DJs and the airport terminals? Like we aren’t terminal. Like we don’t love people who are dying. Like hibernating hate didn’t wake up when we were half asleep. Like all the little children in the world are going to join hands and sing. Like hurricanes do no harm. Like we aren’t afraid. It’s the most wonderful time of the ...
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Advent begins tomorrow! We all could use a season of hope, joy, peace and love? If you are from a tradition that doesn't generally observe Advent, this is time to start. If you have friends who are not "Advent people," invite them to join us. It's been a rough year, and we could all use an extra dose of the time of holy expectation and anticipation that is Advent. Do you ...
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This Thanksgiving, remember: You are a beloved child of God. You do not owe your great-aunt Mildred an explanation for your life choices. You get to eat as much or as little as you like--and allow others to do the same…without comment. The number of children you choose to have (or not have) is no one's business but yours. Your value is not determined by how you measure up to the achievements of others. This is ...
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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. ...
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Just like everything else in 2020, the holidays are going to be harder this year. Harder because we're not going to be able to celebrate the way we've always done it. Because of health concerns, traveling restrictions and local ordinances about group gatherings, our large, crowded table celebrations will have to be put on hold. This has been the year to realize that the ties that bind us are not ...
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We see you and we celebrate youWe see the good you doWe see the love you shareWe see the people you serve We hear the names people call youNames that we do not recognize or publicize, lest we legitimizeFor those names don’t define you We know you by one nameBeloved Child of GodCreated in God’s own image We don’t pretend to know your painBut when you hurt, we hurt, tooWe may not walk in ...
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https://youtu.be/lMd-osw61Is Thanks to all who contributed their images of joy. Happy Easter, everyone!
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Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday with Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Things quickly take a downturn and we move to the tragedy of the cross and then on to the triumph of the empty tomb. Holy Week can get dicey. There's no way around it. The miracle of the empty tomb and the Risen Lord don’t have much meaning unless you travel through Good Friday and witness the crucifixion. ...
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I have gotten a bad rap. I’m not even in Luke’s version of the nativity story and yet, in Christmas pageant after Christmas pageant for the last 2000 years, I’m made out to be the bad guy. I mean, I’m no Herod, but still…I don’t come off looking good. Somehow, I became the guy who turned poor Joseph and great-with-child Mary away from the inn so that her baby had to ...
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Even if he were the most devoted and dedicated angel in all of heaven, Gabriel must have been taken by surprise The Almighty, Immortal, Omnipotent God of all Creation Was going to become one of those frail, fallible, fearful humans. Before Gabriel could decide if he had heard correctly, God springs another surprise. Gabriel must go to the backwater town of Nazareth And tell a poor, peasant teenager that she is to ...
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Find traditional Christmas music grating, irrelevant or just plain silly? I've never been a fan of separating music in to sacred and secular categories--particularly at Christmas. What better time to be reminded that the holy and the human are inextricably intertwined? I think all (most?) music can be sacred if it touches your heart, reveals to you a universal truth, expands your understanding of God and God's people or just ...
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It's the second Sunday of Advent. The time is drawing nigh. Houses are being decorated. Christmas cards are being addressed. Menus are being planned. Cantatas and children's pageants are being rehearsed. Budgets are starting to strain, and nerves are beginning to frazzle. We swore last year that we wouldn’t do it again. We would not spend our weekends and evenings elbowing through crowds or driving around in the rain searching ...
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Make your holiday a happy one. Based on my experience and extensive research, here are the top 10 questions to avoid this Thanksgiving Day. So, what do you think about the impeachment hearings? When are you two getting married?When are you having kids/another kid/trying for a boy/girl? (basically stay away from all talk of people's sex lives and reproductive choices)Do you have a job yet? Or the related: When are you ...
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In response to those Christian voices who decry and denounce the celebration of Halloween, my friend Rev. Marie Mainard O’Connell (minister and unapologetic celebrant) penned this ode a few years ago. She graciously allows me to re-post it, because it makes me happy every Halloween. I think it should be read aloud in the town square (if we still had such things) every year. In defense and praise of Halloween! Rally the ...
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All Saints and All Souls day are coming up November 1 and November 2, respectively. Historically, in the Catholic tradition, All Saints Day has been a celebration of the communion of saints, those people who were believed to have made it to heaven. All Souls was a day to pray for all souls--particularly those who may be lingering in purgatory. Today, many Protestant liturgical traditions use the days interchangeably. ...
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If you are over of the age of say, six, then you most likely know what it’s like to have life pull the rug out from under you. Things are going along just great and then out of nowhere disappointment, disaster or disease strikes (sometimes all three at once). These are times when it can seem like hope has abandoned us. Times when we make choices we never thought we ...
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Prepare ye the way of the Lord. That’s what her preacher had said. That’s what she was trying to do this Advent season. She desperately wanted to prepare her heart to receive the peace of Christ. God knew she could use some peace. Carol was a single mom trying to raise two kids. Her husband bailed after the second child was born prematurely and had some developmental problems. The doctors couldn’t guarantee ...
Read MoreThis season is not lacking in cute, funny, romantic and sappy sweet movies and televisions specials. But if you're not in the mood for extreme Christmas cheer and looking for something a little more substantive in your holiday entertainment, check out these flicks. A Christmas Without Snow Michael Learned (the Walton's mom) plays a divorced single mom trying to pull her life back together. She joins the choir of a local church ...
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