Elijah went a day's journey in to the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: "It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." I Kings 19:4 I'm having an Elijah moment this morning, after being... Continue Reading →
Field Notes on Living through a Crisis
It occurred to me a couple days ago that even though this situation is new, and this corona virus is novel, the feelings of daily panic in the face of an uncertain future are old hat for me. As one suddenly widowed last year, I'm no expert on epidemiology or pandemics, but I do know... Continue Reading →
A Remembrance of Baptism during Global Pandemic
We are learning how to be the church while physically distanced from each other in these days of COVID-19, and I have heard so many clergy and lay people lamenting the impossibility of communion. To feed that deep sacramental hunger, I wrote this baptismal remembrance for my congregation to use this week, and I hope... Continue Reading →
Confession is a Gift
Ash Wednesday 2020 Spiritual Practices Series: Confession Mark 9:30-37 This year during Lent, we are focusing on spiritual practices, taking one traditional faith practices of Christian community each week. And we’re not just going to talk about these practices, we are actually going to practice. So if you need a moment to prepare yourself for... Continue Reading →
At Least
If Marrett were alive and aware of how negative the space inside my head is these days, he'd recommend a daily gratitude practice. But, because he's not, I just can't get to gratitude most days. Instead, I've developed this sad little game I play at the end of each day, which is possibly a step... Continue Reading →
The Death (and Resurrection) of Simple
I miss who I used to be: someone who believed in one love for your whole life, an overly optimistic Pollyanna who could find the silver lining in any situation, someone whose life was simply... SIMPLE. I know that simplicity was always an illusion, one largely supported by the massive privilege I've been afforded by... Continue Reading →
The Parable of the Bird Poop
A sermon on Mark 4 A few notes about parables before I really get started: First, there is no one right way to interpret a parable, so please don’t expect me to tell you exactly what this or any parable means or doesn’t mean. Jesus tells us himself that understanding his parables isn’t going to... Continue Reading →
Tears and Trumpets: A Sermon on Ezra 3
Read the Scripture for this sermon here. Congratulations, people of God, as of today’s reading, we’ve made it through the Old Testament story. We’ve seen God working in partnership with humans from the creation onward, through post-menopausal pregnancies, all night wrestling matches and flaming foliage. God has bound themselves... Continue Reading →
Afterlife II: A Resurrection Rant
At my church's Wednesday bible study this morning, our text was Acts 24, the eerily parallel account of Paul's trial before the Roman governor and high priest. He's on trial, it seems, for his insistence on the resurrection. And not just the resurrection of Jesus, which he proclaims, but about a Way of living a... Continue Reading →
God and No Mortal: A Sermon on Hosea
We are in the book of God’s prophet Hosea this week, about a hundred years after Elijah’s story from last week. Hosea lives in the northern Kingdom of Israel, likely the distant descendant of those who revolted against King Rehoboam in our scripture from two weeks ago. And from that moment when Jeroboam built the... Continue Reading →
Collette Broady Grund 