From the Pastors

Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30 It may be surprising to some that the subject of “rest” is found all throughout the Bible. In o

“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” Jesus in Matthew 10:40 When we think about our lives, our church, and the world we live in, everything changes when we realize that Jesus is with us. Jesus keeps showing up. This, of course, is a mystery, but a mystery in the ancient sense, one that fills us with wonder and hope. Jesus continues to be at work in the feeble, humble, often frail commu

Healing and the arrival of God's reign.

Service is part of the Christian faith.

Today is Earth Day. It is springtime in the Midwest. All around us we see things growing. Perhaps you are hoping to grow certain plants in or around your home this growing season. In one of his books, Martin Laird, who teaches at Villanova University, states a simple but profound fact: none of us can make anything grow. While we often say that we grow certain plants, we grow certain vegetables, “Look at this tree I grew,” that is not technically correct. We cannot grow any

Mary Magdalene. The “other” Mary. Two travelers walking down a road. Simon Peter. John. These are some of the people who interacted with Jesus after his resurrection. Each gospel presents the Easter story as a movement from sadness to chaotic confusion to utter bewilderment and joy. And yet the earliest writing we have about the resurrection of Jesus comes in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. Scholars think this letter was written around the year 51, and in chapter 15 h

In last Sunday’s sermon I mentioned that during World War II, as war was spreading across Europe and into England, the BBC in London broadcast a series of radio dramas on the life of Jesus. They commissioned the acclaimed novelist Dorothy Sayers to write a series of twelve dramas that would bring to life the story of Jesus to the modern listening audience. The series of plays was entitled The Man Born to be King . The plays were a huge success. It was reported that C.S. Lewis

Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from punishment. -Joel 2:12-13 Last Friday morning I went past Meadowbook Park in Urbana and noticed that the large prairie field had been burned. I could still smell the remnants of the fire. S

There is a way to be a Christian--or to practice a religion--that is all about trying to have a particular kind of experience. Here the main pursuit of religion is to secure a type of experience that can bring desired feelings, sensations, or insights. I once had a conversation with someone who said, “I don’t need the church to experience God. I experience God outdoors. That’s my church.” Fair enough. I do not doubt that someone can experience God outside of church. Most of

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. “Bl

Christians often speak about having a calling in life. But determining what that calling actually is can be difficult today, not least because of so many different--and often conflicting--teachings and ideas about how to find one’s calling. Jesus who clarified what life was all about when he taught the greatest commandments (see Matthew 22:36-40). The two great commandments are these: to love God with every part of your being, and to love your neighbor as yourself. This is t

When we open the Bible to page one in the book Genesis, the first image we find is of the Spirit of God “hovering” over the chaotic waters, and then God’s voice speaking creation into existence. All creation emerges into existence through the voice of God. At the start of the New Testament, in the book of Matthew, we find some similar details, especially in the story of Jesus being baptized. Jesus comes to the River Jordan to be baptized by John the Baptist. While water was

Nazareth is a small town on the outskirts of the Galilee region. Matthew tells us it is Joseph who makes his home with Mary and Jesus in Nazareth, but we can’t help but think about this on a bigger scale. In Jesus, God literally makes God’s home on earth in a small town, among ordinary people. What began as an almost unbelievable tale - complete with heralding angels and kings from far away lands bearing expensive gifts - continues in a no-frills, inconsequential town fill

King Ahaz was told to listen and to trust. This message should’ve brought him overwhelming joy. But he did not listen.

There’s a phrase in Isaiah 35 that sticks out to me. Isaiah says, “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing;” (and here’s the phrase) “everlasting joy shall be upon their heads .” The question I have been asking is, What does it mean for everlasting joy to be upon our heads? When I went rooting around in the stories of Scripture, two images emerged. The first is of a pitcher full of joy being poured out. So much joy is poured into our lives t

The season of Advent is not really about having a festive countdown to a jolly holiday season, despite the many chocolate Advent calendars that one can buy! Advent is more a deep longing for a new world, a world of justice, a world of goodness, a world of true and lasting peace. Every year during Advent, we see how far off these things appear to us now. Our world is longing for deliverance. And yet Advent itself is a stubborn refusal to fall into despair. There is much that

There is at least one thing, however, about the season of Advent that I don’t think we should overlook - and that is the honesty of the season.

Most people would agree that gratitude is good. We teach kids to say “thank you.” We share our thankfulness through cards or letters when the opportunity arises. We may craft a social media post. We spend a day each year celebrating Thanksgiving. But the Christian faith invites us into a deeper gratitude that goes beyond the merely conventional. Last Sunday I shared a quote by the Christian spiritual writer Joan Chittister that reminds us how important gratitude is in the C