Readings: Exodus 32: 7-11, 13-14; 1 Timothy 1: 12-17; Luke 15: 1-32 Preacher: Susan Howard Several years ago one of our churches held a procession with the Blessed Sacrament on Feast of Corpus Christi. I had the task of finding someone to carry the cross that leads the procession. I could have asked one of our faithful ushers, or one of… read more →
Readings: Wisdom 9: 13-18b; Philemon 9-10, 12-17; Luke 14: 25-33 Preacher: Christine Nowak Kvam I do not mean to diminish the honor and privilege it is to be asked to write for God’s Word Many Voices, but when I first read the lectionary texts I would be reflecting on for this Sunday I laughed out loud. And if you had been… read more →
Readings: Sirach 3: 17-18, 20, 28-29; Hebrews 12: 18-19, 22-24a; Luke 14:1, 7-14 Preacher: Sister Karen Dietz Several weeks ago I fell and what we thought was a severely strained back ended up being a fracture. Over the course of these weeks I have had to depend on others in ways I never imagined. From taking on my household chores to… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 66:18-21; Hebrews 12: 5-7,11-13; Luke 13: 22-30 Preacher: Marilyn Catherine Full disclosure: I didn’t like this gospel. Jesus is asked a simple question: “Will only a few people be saved?” Can’t he just say, “Yes” or “No.” That’s wishful thinking on the part of my western trained dualistic mindset. Jesus’ answer is messy, confusing, even contradictory, not really an… read more →
Readings: Jeremiah 38: 4-6, 8-10; Hebrews 12: 1-4; Luke 12: 49-53 Preacher Sonja Livingston After more than two years of avoiding conferences and airplanes, I attended my first packed event last week. Singer Lyle Lovett was coming to Geneva; how could I resist? My husband and I masked and sanitized. We stuck together, leaning so far into each other we might… read more →
Readings: Wisdom 18: 6-9; Hebrews 11: 1-2, 8-19; Luke 12: 32-48 Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala Abraham, we are told in the Letter to the Hebrews today, travelled to a horizon beyond which he could not see. “Abraham…went out, not knowing where he was to go.” (Heb.11.8) All he could do was to have faith and trust in the God who told… read more →
Readings: Ecclesiastes 1: 2, 2: 21-23; Colossians 3: 1-5, 9-11; Luke 12: 13-21 Preacher: Nancy DeRycke “NOW” is a very important word. I remember a poster: “Do it now.” And a Lenten song in college: “Love them now…don’t wait ‘til they go away; love them now, while they’re still around…” We all may have regrets about questions (a favorite recipe…a family… read more →
Reading: Genesis 18:20-32; Colossians 2:12-14; Luke 11: 1-13 Preacher: Lourdes Perez-Albuerne The disciples saw Jesus pray and the uniqueness of that prayer. Even, sometimes, during or after prayer, Jesus was able to perform miracles. We have in the Gospels, the curing of the sick, the Transfiguration and other instances. It was, therefore, to be expected that they would ask Jesus to… read more →
Readings: Genesis 18: 1-10a; Colossians 1: 24-28; Luke10: 38-42 Preacher: Christine Nowak Kvam The weekend my son was baptized we had a house full of guests. That Saturday evening, my mother-in-law and father-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and nephew, and two dear friends from grad school with their 1 1/2-year-old daughter were gathered around our too small dining room table. Within a few… read more →
Readings: Deuteronomy 30:10-14; Colossians 1:15-20; Luke 10:25-37 Preacher: Sheryl Zabel Why do we Christians listen to readings from Scripture when we come together for worship? Why do we pick up our own Bibles to read one or more passages from its many books? We do this because we believe that the important teachings found in the Bible come from God and… read more →