Jeremiah 31 & 32 I’m thankful I only had 210 years of US history to learn as a junior in high school, instead of the 1000 or more years other students across the globe had to learn. Or Biblical history. There’s a lot to remember. Jeremiah chapter 32 gives us a date stamp: It is […]
PREFACE TO PSALM 137: Jeremiah began his ministry in 627 BCE, and witnessed the final years of Jerusalem before it fell to Nebuchadnezzar in 597 BCE when he started taking the ruling class into exile in Babylon. Ten years later, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the holy city of Jerusalem and desecrated the temple. It was the worst […]
Last week I talked about the rise and fall of empire, and the role of the prophet in the midst of corruption and injustice. For Jeremiah, his prophetic stance places him at odds against the religious leaders of his time, to the point where his life is at risk. His home country of Judah was […]
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 […]