Today we thank you, O God, for the gift of electrical fuses. As you know, I was awakened by the sound of one breaking in my CPAP machine’s power supply. I suspect it will be a week of miserable sleep as I wait for a replacement to arrive. But better to lose sleep than to […]
Alleluia! Christ is risen! [He is risen indeed! Alleluia!] Good. Now that’s over with. I mean, sure. It’s still the Easter season, and it’s Good News, sure. But it is worth taking a moment to notice that Easter isn’t always full of joy for everyone. Alleluia, we say. Christ is risen, we say. And so […]
Today we thank you, O God, that the generic brand at the grocery store seems to think it is appropriate to put “smooth milk chocolate curls” in with my “honey nut clusters” breakfast cereal. Because seriously, the only thing better than having dessert for breakfast is pretending, with some legitimacy, that it’s not dessert. Amen.
Today we thank you, O God, for the resurrection dawn, which makes all things new. To me, even the lizards seem to sing your praise today. And why not? I somehow suspect that they know, even better than we do, that Jesus lives. After all, we need the revelation of scripture to know it; but […]
Sermon for Maundy Thursday on Ezekiel 1 and John 13:1–17, 31b–35. Proclaimed at Semenari Theoloji Malaysia. Bear Creek Camp is the largest of the Lutheran Outdoor Ministries in America. Over twelve square kilometers of forest are there, with rivers, swampland, mountains, and incredible wildlife. Starting when I was just six years old, I spent eleven […]
Today I was going to thank you for something silly, O God. But then I spent the afternoon and evening with some wonderful people. I didn’t know how badly I needed some social time until I saw how wonderful it was. So instead, O God, we thank you for them, and for surrounding us with […]
Today we thank you, O God, for the almost daily thunderstorms. They are truly beautiful. (Even if my clothes on the line were almost dry before this last one.) Amen.
Today we thank you, O God, for the persistence and strength of people who want to serve You. Particularly I think of some Lutheran pastors in this country, who must undergo two seminary degrees and two long interim pastorates before their ordination. I think most Americans wouldn’t tolerate twelve years of pastoral formation before the […]