Prophecies & Pottery: Journeys with Jeremiah Worship Series – Jeremiah 2 This passage reminds the Southern tribe of Judah and us of the Sacred covenant between God and the people. “I will be your God; You will be my people”, with the reminder “You shall have no other gods before me.” These verses sound like […]
Jeremiah 1:4-10 Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am […]
Labor Day weekend provides a good opportunity to reflect on work. The etymology of the word work comes from the word worship. Worship is literally the WORK of the people and today it will be especially so. About 7 years ago when I was the pastor at SPCUMC, I received the offering plates, and noticed […]
When I went away to seminary 20 years ago, a clergy friend gave me a book by Dr Rachel Naomi Remen called “Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories that Heal”. Later I read her book, “My Grandfather’s Blessings” about her Orthodox Jewish Rabbi grandfather. Dr. Remen has been widely known for her pioneering work with cancer patients […]
This is the last sermon in a worship series on Christine Valters Paintner’s book entitled “The Soul’s Slow Ripening: 12 Celtic Practices for Seeking the Sacred”. How often do you think in patterns of three? You hear expressions like “3’s company” or on the flip side “3’s a crowd” or “bad news or death always comes […]
We are in the midst of a summer worship series called: The Souls Slow Ripening: 12 Celtic Spiritual Practices for Seeking the Sacred, by Christine Valters Paintner. Have you been around dogs enough to notice a curious habit? Some dogs will circle their beds before settling in for a nap. This behavior was hard-wired in […]
We are in the midst of a summer worship series called: The Souls Slow Ripening: 12 Celtic Spiritual Practices for Seeking the Sacred, by Christine Valters Paintner. Today we encounter The Practice of Learning by Heart When was the last time you had to memorize something? Your driving test? The periodic table for chemistry? Verb […]
We are in the midst of a summer worship series called: The Souls Slow Ripening: 12 Celtic Spiritual Practices for Seeking the Sacred, by Christine Valters Paintner. The Practice of Soul Friendship. Some people might call the relationship between David & Jonathan; Ruth & Naomi – soul friends. John O’Donohue – an Irish poet, philosopher, […]
We are in the midst of a summer worship series called: The Souls Slow Ripening: 12 Celtic Spiritual Practices for Seeking the Sacred, by Christine Valters Paintner. In Ch. 4 she writes: “One of the beautiful practices of the Celtic tradition is blessing the world, blessing each and every encounter and experience, even and especially […]
Summer Sermon Series based on: The Souls Slow Ripening: 12 Celtic Spiritual Practices for Seeking the Sacred, by Christine Valters Paintner Six years ago, Angie and I found ourselves driving in unfamiliar places on the left side of the road, and if not for the grace of God, we would still be circling counterclockwise in […]