“And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in…

In two weeks, on the day after Thanksgiving, department stores and radio stations throughout our nation will begin their round-the-clock auditory avalanche of Christmas carols. You may find the constant repetition of “Silent Night” a soothing reminder of “the reason for the season”; or it may annoy you to the point of giving you a…

[RCL] Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 70; Hebrews 12:1-3; John 13:21-32 As we continue our journey through Holy Week, we attempt to be faithful to Jesus in his hour of need. We show up. We listen. We pray. And we ask ourselves some hard questions: What prevents us from following him? What drives us away from his…

A commentary on our Gospel lesson, the story of Jesus’ raising of Jairus’ daughter, suggests that “stories like this one seem to promise too much.” (New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. VIII, page 590.) One is tempted to ask, “How much is too much?” In John’s Gospel, Jesus says, “I came that they may have life, and…

[RCL] Job 23:1-9, 16-17; Psalm 22:1-15; Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31 Peek-a-boo! [Cover eyes with hands and then remove them as you say the words if you wish] Have you ever played this game with a baby or toddler? Or perhaps you have heard this from a child: “If I close my eyes, you can’t see…

A prayer by Jacqueline Bergan and S Marie Schwann says, “Lord my God, when Your loved spilled over into creation You thought of me. I am from love, of love, for love.”[i] What an awesome claim! When God first created, God did it with us in mind. In fact, the reason for creation itself was…

RCL: Isaiah 58:1-9a [9b-12]; Psalm 112:1-9, (10); 1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16); Matthew 5:13-20 Opening Prayer Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the…

[RCL] Isaiah 61:10-62:3; Psalm 147; Galatians 3:23-25;4:4-7; John 1:1-18 Let’s start with the obvious: for many people, it’s not really clear why we’re here in church today. We’ve just come off a great festival of Christmas services, with music and candles and all the spectacle you could ever want. So we have to ask the…

Jesus had a marvelous way of confronting people who held worldly beliefs, by turning their views upside down, shaking them out, so his listeners could understand the deeper realities of God. He was a genius at bringing his message down to a common-sense level – often by telling stories, sharply driving home a point leading…

RCL: Jeremiah 17:5-10; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians 15:12-20; Luke 6:17-26 This Bible study is part of a series produced by the Office of Global Partnerships of The Episcopal Church. Jeremiah 17:5-10 “You lied to us. You gave us false hope. You told us that the future was something to look forward to. And the saddest…