Jan 12, 2015 | Lent, liturgy, Monday Muse, worship
Barely into the season of Epiphany, it’s a little difficult to believe that Lent is just around the corner — but just around the corner it is, which puts Lenten preparations squarely on the “to do” list for many ministers these days. If...
Nov 10, 2014 | Advent, liturgy, Monday Muse
Advent is a season to savor — the longing, the impossible hope, the desperate eagerness for God to come and completely convert the world to holy ways of justice and love. Savoring Advent, however, is often a rare luxury for church professionals working hard to...
Oct 20, 2014 | liturgy, Monday Muse, prayer, scripture
Deuteronomy 34:1-12 (from the Revised Common Lectionary for 10.26.2014): Ah God, I am not wise like Moses; I have neither his courage for the wilderness nor his faith for miracles. Still I dare to pray for the gift of a vision like the one given to Moses on Mount Nebo...
Oct 1, 2014 | communion, liturgy, Monday Muse
Come to the mountain. Come to the table. Come to life. In a pillar of raging fire, in a gift of holy precepts, God is with you. And also with you. In a brother, in a stranger, in a sister, in an enemy, God is with you. And also with you. Give praise to God, who alone...
Sep 15, 2014 | communion, justice, lament, liturgy, Monday Muse, racism
World Communion Sunday (October 5th this year) is an annual ecumenical celebration in some mainline American denominations, originating from a time in history when the spirit of ecumenism in American Christianity was high and global concern was heightened by the World...
Apr 21, 2014 | Easter, liturgy, Monday Muse, worship
The brightly-colored hard-boiled eggs gradually disappear, mixed into cobb salads or egg salads or eaten plain with a dash of salt & pepper. The chocolate bunnies and pastel candies disappear faster. Pastors and priests — who have been going full-steam since...