Trinity

by

Today is Trinity Sunday, an appropriate end for Easter and Pentecost. While Easter is all about the risen Christ and Pentecost is all about the Holy Spirit, today is all about the triune God: Father, Son, and Spirit. We celebrate the three-in-one vision of God that is...

Good Gifts

by

Last Sunday, I helped in my son’s Godly Play class. Because the kids worship in church with us on Pentecost, Julia, the worship leader, told the Pentecost story: how the wind roared in the upper room and flames as of fire rested on each of the disciples, how they went...

As Far as Bethany

by

Ascension—the day we commemorate Jesus’ returning to Heaven—was on Thursday, though many churches will celebrate it today. The lectionary passages for Ascension focus on royal imagery—God the king (Ps 47), Christ the king (Eph 1)—and on the stories from Luke and Acts...

Abide in My Love

by

This week’s Gospel passage continues Jesus’ discourse on the vine and the branches, which I wrote about last week. In her comment on that post, Catherine wisely pointed out the importance of receiving God’s love. Inherent in this image of abiding, of being a branch...

Abide in Me

by

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus commands His disciples to “abide in me.” A few verses later, he says, “Abide in my love.” In the church, we talk about God’s love a great deal. But a lot of this God-is-love talk glosses over how costly that love is—not just for Jesus,...