[Jesus] came down with them and stood on a level place with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. ~ Luke 6:17-18 Matthew's version of the Beatitudes tends to be the one we have in mind when we hear the words. If you're like me, you can imagine Jesus standing on his mounta

So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter. ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:15 Dear Paul, or whomever wrote this letter, I'm not sure all traditions need to be held onto. Maybe even not all of yours. Maybe even not all of Martin Luther's. And yet... There are traditions that we should never let go of: the tradition to love our neighbor as ourself. The tradition to learn and to grow in our

No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall lead this people to possess the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them. ~ Joshua 1:5-6 Who is the most courageous person you've ever known? Take a minute... What made them courageous? Were they always courageous? Or did they find themselves in a situation where courage was the on

On Monday, Psalm 40 told of God's deliverance from the pit and miry bog to give us steps that are secure and firm. "40" by U2 has always been a touchstone for me to remember that God's got me. Here is a slower, more meditative version of the song that I hope will be meaningful to you as it is to me.

And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put in your power, but I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. ~ Exodus 4:21 I don't know about you, but most of the time, I don't need God to harden my heart. I'm really good at doing it myself. So this passage troubled me for many years. Why would God harden Pharaoh's heart? What was the goal? It seemed awfully unfair to the Hebrew

Then the Lord said, “How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin! I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me, and if not, I will know.” ~ Genesis 18:20-21 What exactly was it that Sodom was so sinful about that it had to be destroyed? Their reputation of course is that they engaged in acts that we now refer to as "sodomy," meaning acts of same gender (especially male) copulation. Tha

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them, those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. ~ Hebrews 12:2-3 This above image seems to be the one that is associated with both immigrants and prisoners right now - well, longer than that actually. I admit that I am more than a little bit disheartened at the

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. ~ Psalm 40:1-2 Many people who know me know that Psalm 40 has special meaning to me because U2 based on of their songs on it - with words that really inspired me. I'll admit though that sometimes the words don't hit as well as other times. Sometimes I still feel like I'm in the pit. Or m

God is worthy to be praised! Here is a hymn that speaks joyfully to God's glory.

Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us. ~ 2 Timothy 1:13-14 Christianity is a big tent. Under it are people of all stripes and sorts and ideas and sizes and colors. And beliefs. In Christianity there are all sorts of beliefs. These days in the news you probably notice that more than at other times. But not all beli

“I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you. ~ John 14:25-26 I was once in a difficult work situation where, despite knowing I had friends and peers who had my back, I still felt alone and out of my depth. Fortunately, where I worked, I had someone who was my official advocate. She walked with me every step of the way

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. ~ I Corinthians 12:12-13 In our individualistic society, this bears repeating over and over again: we are one. In our church it bears repeating. We are one body. We are Christ's body. We are one. In all my years bei

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; worship the Lord in holy splendor ~ Psalm 29:1-2 I'm tempted to begin this by pointing out how much leaders - especially our president - tend to lift up their own glory and strength: how much they take all the credit for anything and everything. Yeah, it's tempting. But it ignores something deep and important. All the times I lift up my own glory and s

What are the ways in which you find solace when you are groaning and sighing with pain or grief? When tragedy struck Horatio Spafford, he wrote a hymn. He wrote "When Peace Like a River" after he, like Job, suffered a series of unfathomable and traumatic events: the loss of his son to scarlet fever, the loss of his investments in the Chicago fire, and then most tragically, the deaths of all four of his daughter when the ship they were on sank. This hymn has comforted people

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man; I will question you, and you shall declare to me. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the hea

On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ ” ~ John 7:37-38 There are many images and metaphors scripture gives us about Jesus, but for me, Living water just might be the most helpful. Because water is something we can't live without. We can live sometimes

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words. And God, who searches hearts, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. ~ Romans 8:26-27 I can't tell you how many people have told me that they either don't know how to pray or don't like to pray out loud or in front of others. I used to be one of the

We know that the whole creation has been groaning together as it suffers together the pains of labor, and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what one already sees? ~ Romans 8:22-24 Does it seem like creation is groaning? The earth? It's creatures? There is much to groan about. As

I have had to take a break from this devotion as time has not allowed me to keep it up. But as summer winds up, I am going to revive it for as long as I can. Summer "officially" begins on Monday - Memorial Day. As you head into the long weekend, I leave you with this. I was recently at a retreat where we focused on this prayer for St. Francis. We certainly live in a time where peace seems to be elusive. I hope that you find these two versions of that prayer in song are as mea

Advent seemed a good time to start up the Morning Grace Devotion again. As we begin the New Year, I will (for starters) post once a week on Monday mornings to start your week off. I will also write on important holy days of the church. The fourth Sunday of Advent is the Sunday in which we celebrate the Annunciation and Mary's song as she joyful anticipates the coming of Emmanuel. Mary's song - the Magnificat - harkens back to the song of Hannah, mother of the prophet Samuel.