Faith, Grace, and Hope

The younger of my two brothers works in an office that is attached to the church where I work. He is the office manager of there. So we work about 30 feet from each other, for two different entities, but technically within the same building.  He came over to my side today and told me he didn't feel well. He asked if I would go get him some clear soda and crackers, while he laid down on the couch in the youth room.  I told him I would. I grabbed my keys, wallet, and phone and hustled to the Safeway across the street.  In the store, I threw things into a basket- items for him and something for myself to eat for lunch. A woman stopped me, "Can I ask you a question?" Feeling startled out of my train of thought, I said, "Sure."  I get stopped for directions in stores all the time, so this is what I assumed was happening.  "Are you a priest?" she wondered.  Suddenly, I remembered I was wearing my collar.  "I'm a Luth

This is my 500th blog post. I could agonize about making it SIGNIFICANT (insert James Earl Jones voice here) or I could just write what I might any time. Since I have a tendency toward procrastination through perfectionism, I'm going to do a Friday Five (questions from RevGalBlogPals and revkarla). 1.  What have you got going on today? Work, going to the movies with Dear Son, more work, maybe time with my  spouse tonight, making to-do lists, prayer 2.  What about a prayer request, how can we pray for you today? It's a busy time of year. Please pray that I allow myself to seize opportunities for rest and that I resist the small demons of sarcasm, frustration, comparison, and sniping.  3.  What makes you curious? A political system that does not have stronger term limits, thus allowing people to serve for  years  without consideration for their skills or awareness of current needs or circumstances in their community.  4.  If you got stuck in an elevator for thre

This sermon had many off-the-cuff remarks, but the notes are enough to get a general idea.  Genesis 9:8-17; 1 Peter 3:18-22 ; Mark 1:9-15 The basis of “he descended to the dead” in the Apostle’s Creed finds its roots in the 1 Peter reading. Along with a verse from Ephesians and one from Hebrews, a whole doctrine has been constructed around what Jesus did, as the Christ, in the interim between being laid bodily in the tomb and being resurrected, of the same body, on Easter morning. Late Christian writings, circa 325 ce , refer to this time as the “harrowing of hell”, wherein Christ descended to the place of the dead, spoke the words of triumph to Satan, and offered the good news of the gospel to all those who would hear it. Eastern Orthodox traditions have a profound iconographic tradition around the harrowing of hell- showing the gates shattered, demons bound, and Jesus lifting Adam and Eve up from the pit by their wrists. (By the wrist is important, since by the hand wo

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord- my Rock and my Redeemer. May the entries in my check register and debits from my account be acceptable in your sight, O Lord- Provider of all things. May the way I treat my fellow human beings and other members of creation be acceptable in your sight, O Lord- Creator of all. May the paths of my feet and the work of my hands be acceptable in your sight, O Lord- my Light and my Path. May the works I attribute to you and the ways I perceive your presence be acceptable in your sight, O Lord- Healer of our every ill. Amen. First published at revgalblogpals.org by this author