Weekly Moravian Message: June 17, 2018
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost Just Small Seeds The prison has a sidewalk that comes to the prison chapel front door, with an area on each side of the sidewalk for bushes and flowers. Some years those areas have looked nice; some years they haven’t. One day Andy, an inmate at the prison, stopped by the […]
Weekly Moravian Message: June 10, 2018
Third Sunday after Pentecost A House Divided Have you ever started telling a story, and then, after starting, you inserted another story? This is a device Mark uses often. In today’s story we find Jesus being begged by his family to come home, withdraw from his mission. They are frightened by what is being said […]
Weekly Moravian Message: June 3, 2018
Second Sunday after Pentecost Practicing Sabbath In 1961, the North Carolina General Assembly passed “An Act to Prohibit Certain Business Activities on Sunday,” which restricted the sale and the buying of certain items (clothing, household items, clocks, luggage, office supplies, etc.) on Sunday. Anyone violating these “blue laws” was subject to a hefty fine or […]
Weekly Moravian Message: May 27, 2018
Trinity Sunday Born of Water and Spirit It is convenient to buy an item in a grocery store in which the directions are “mix with water.” Everything that is needed is in the box—except for the water. Eating or drinking the product without water is not recommended and is not appetizing. But when mixed with […]
Weekly Moravian Message: May 20, 2018
Pentecost Living into the Truth We usually think of “truth” in terms of how closely a statement accords with the facts, but there are other definitions of the word. While constructing shelving for a craft room, I discovered our home was not “true.” Walls did not meet squarely with each other, and the bubble in […]
Weekly Moravian Message: May 13, 2018
Seventh Sunday of Easter Circles of Nurture Mother’s Day is and has been many different things in the lives of families through the years. Our growing awareness of the variety of family dynamics and the many different mothering roles, both within families and beyond them, may be calling us to return to some of the […]
Weekly Moravian Message: May 6, 2018
Sixth Sunday of Easter “Abide in My Love” Life in Christ is the wellspring of the joy of living, regardless of what we encounter in life. That is why Jesus’ request, “Abide in my love,” is so important for us. In the context of those words, Jesus was fully aware that his followers, beginning with […]
Weekly Moravian Message: April 29, 2018
Fifth Sunday of Easter Abiding in Jesus The only time I use the word “abide” is in my relationship with Jesus. I don’t talk about abiding with my spouse or children, my mother or father, my sisters or brothers. I don’t use “abide” when I talk about my friends, even when I talk about church. […]
Weekly Moravian Message: April 22, 2018
Fourth Sunday of Easter A Gift There are many different slogans, catch phrases, and songs that, once someone starts them, we can finish them. “My bologna has a first name—it’s —”; “There are some things that money can’t buy; for everything else there’s —”; “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.” Imagine […]
Weekly Moravian Message: April 15, 2018
Third Sunday of Easter Christ the Wounded One “As I was growing up, it seemed to me that Jesus’ feet never touched the ground,” a friend said to me. That’s the Jesus many of us imagine. That is not the Jesus of Easter. “Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I […]
Weekly Moravian Message: April 8, 2018
Second Sunday of Easter The Breath of Life I know that this text is about Thomas and his serious doubts about whether Jesus is alive. But it is also about the way God provides help for us in our fear and doubting. This passage always stops me in my tracks when I hear Jesus say, […]
Weekly Moravian Message: April 1, 2018
Resurrection of Our Lord Be Ready Early in the morning, when it’s the kind of quiet that invites reflection, the women arrived at the tomb. They carried questions about how they would move the stone and do the work that they needed to do. They were prepared. However, when they arrived at the tomb, the […]
Weekly Moravian Message: March 25, 2018
Palm Sunday Sadness While visiting Duluth, Minnesota, last year, I had to take the city bus to get to my destination downtown. I encountered all kinds of people while waiting at the bus stop in this poor, working-class neighbor-hood. . . . One man with a learning disability told me which bus I needed to […]
Weekly Moravian Message: March 18, 2018
Fifth Sunday in Lent Surprise “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies” S O W When the good seed falls on the earth, the soil surrounds the wheat seed faith. The water softens the hard hull covering the love inside. The sun warms the good seed with real hope. God gives […]
Weekly Moravian Message: March 11, 2018
Fourth Sunday in Lent Joy Last fall while canoeing and camping in northern Minnesota, I would rise up in the middle of the night in pursuit of catching a glimpse of the northern lights. Those amazing lights that dance across the northern sky often elude my eyes while living here in Ohio. My eyes never […]
Weekly Moravian Message: March 4, 2018
Third Sunday in Lent Anger Cut off at an intersection, shut down publicly by the management team, insulted by a cheerleading mom, and snubbed by a “so called” friend are just some examples of situations in which someone can push our “anger button.” Such tongue jabs trip the lever on our emotions. We steam. We […]
Weekly Moravian Message: February 25, 2018
Second Sunday in Lent Disappointment Sometimes we experience displeasure and disappointment in response to an offensive object, person, or behavior: spoiled milk in the refrigerator, a roach in the kitchen, a bigot bragging at a local coffee shop, a swastika sprayed in the alley down from the church. Sometimes we disappoint someone, as Peter disappointed […]
Weekly Moravian Message: February 18, 2018
First Sunday in Lent Fear Bulletin-back meditations for the 2018 Lenten season will focus on the emotions in the Gospel passages, and how our feelings can change our interpretation and understanding of the gospel. Remember watching the reality television show Fear Factor? Do we need to set five tarantulas on a man’s chest to see […]
Weekly Moravian Message: February 11, 2018
Last Sunday after the Epiphany Transfiguration of Our Lord Listen to Him The Gospel of Mark is Scripture that most of us feel we can understand. The book simply witnesses to what the believers saw and heard, and then invites us to wrestle with how to live by these “nuggets of faith.” In Mark 9:7 […]
Weekly Moravian Message: February 4, 2018
Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany When We Are Overwhelmed “Everyone is looking for you.” Do you ever feel that way? In this hustle-bustle, rat race of a world we live in, some days it seems as if everyone wants a piece of us. If it’s not our kids, it’s our spouse. If it’s not our […]
Weekly Moravian Message: January 28, 2018
Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany Interruption A young man dressed in wrinkled clothes came into the church building one Sunday morning a few minutes before worship was scheduled to begin. He asked for some food and for some money. This urban congregation ran a weekday breakfast ministry and was also the official monthly food pantry […]
Weekly Moravian Message: January 21, 2018
Third Sunday after the Epiphany Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things Author, pastor, and teacher David Lose expresses the theme of our text for today in a beautifully concise way: Jesus called ordinary people right in the middle of their ordinary lives to do extraordinary things . . . and he still does. The first disciples […]
Weekly Moravian Message: January 14, 2018
Second Sunday after the Epiphany Come and See I am constantly saying to my husband, “Look at this!” “Look at how cute the baby is!” “Look at the puppy!” “Look what the cat did!” Most of the time it is something he has seen a thousand times before, but I find it so adorable or […]
Weekly Moravian Message: January 7, 2018
First Sunday after the Epiphany You Are Beloved . . . One of my most treasured photographs captures my mother holding me on my baptism day. She is cradling me to her chest, my head upon her shoulder. Beside us is a statue of the Blessed Mother, Mary. In addition to this perfect picture of […]
Weekly Moravian Message: December 31, 2017
First Sunday after Christmas Bucket Lists Decades ago my Great-aunt Ruth was in grave health but kept hanging on, even though it seemed she was physically at the end of her life in this world. Soon it became clear she was waiting for her grandson, David, to return safely from his tour of duty in […]
Weekly Moravian Message: December 24, 2017
Fourth Sunday of Advent Relentless Joy Joy. O Joy, all joys excelling. Joy of every longing heart. Joy to the world! The candle of joy should burst into flame spontaneously, so powerful is the joy of this day—and the anticipation of tonight’s high and holy commemoration of Jesus’ birth. But there can be no joy […]
Weekly Moravian Message: December 17, 2017
Third Sunday of Advent Abiding Peace The candle of unconditional love continues to burn. While its candle is diminished and appears smaller, perhaps weaker, its flame remains pure and profound. The candle of unceasing hope challenges us to commit ourselves to hope for ourselves, our neighbors, our enemies, and the Creation. We light next the […]
Weekly Moravian Message: December 10, 2017
Second Sunday of Advent Unceasing Hope With the candle of unconditional love shining brightly, the candle of hope stands next in line. Our hope ebbs and flows. It is as seasonal and temperamental as Advent stars, beeswax candles, and putz displays. In this season, we hope for a lot of things. We hope for victory […]
Weekly Moravian Message: December 3, 2017
First Sunday of Advent Unconditional Love I believe that stories dwell in their adjectives. I would like to add adjectives to the four horsemen of Advent: love, hope, joy, peace. In and of themselves, those four concepts are crucial to our experience of God and our witness to the world. Concepts can be like cars […]
Weekly Moravian Message: November 26, 2017
Reign of Christ Sunday — November 26, 2017 Surprise! Surprises can be absolutely affirming or downright disappointing. They range from the delightful to the unnerving to the dreadful. A well-intentioned surprise may add value to the quality of life or in-crease the heart rate so much it takes minutes off our life. Sometimes the first […]