Picture this scene. There’s a person we will call “Samantha,” who is a good, faithful Christian. She has attended church most Sundays for about a decade. She volunteers when needed and even served on the vestry for a term. She always attends special church events and Christian education offerings. But somehow, Samantha feels that something…

Today’s scripture readings are replete with hopeful images and stories. In today’s psalm, David exalts God who has lifted him “out of the depths,” healed him, and brought him “up from the grave.” God turns David’s “wailing into dancing.” In the reading from Revelation, millions of angels sing in a “loud voice.” Imagine being there…

Every night the same routine played out. It happened around the time the 11 o’clock news was on. As a child she usually slept right through it, but there were those occasions when she’d rouse from sleep, hearing the familiar gait of her father’s footsteps walking first to the kitchen door, then to the front…