Faith, Grace, and Hope

Joshua 24:1–2a, 14–18, John 6:56-69 If, in the morning, I open my eyes, My first decision thereupon lies. Will I continue to lie in the bed, Allowing my thoughts to run through my head? Will I get up and go to the shower, Regardless of both the weather and hour? What of the children, who may want me to play? What of the tasks that call me this day? From the moment of waking, there are choices to make, What will I give this day? What will I take? I want to be saintly, say my first thoughts are of God, But sometimes they’re not and, in that, I’m not odd. We may rise with the sun or maybe at noon, And most of us promise to get with God soon. Yet, that instant, a choice has been made- The balance of time  against God has been weighed.  We can’t do it all. Surely God understands. Did not God make this world, its chores, its demands? But in each thing we choose, and it  is choose we must We have decided in which...

John 6:51-58          I have an obnoxious habit. (Well, probably more than one, but I’m just going to mention the one right now.) In a situation, when I am with other people whom I know identify as Christians and if we are talking about churchy, religious, or spiritual type things- I pay attention to how many times Jesus is mentioned. In listening to sermons, I think about how long it is until Jesus’ name comes into things. I want to hear about Jesus.           More specifically than just a mention of Jesus, I am interested in how we talk about him. Is Jesus easy to talk about- he’s great, good, and groovy? Is Jesus difficult to bring up- mysterious, frustrating, and confusing? Is Jesus close by and a ready comfort or far away and standoffish?           How do we interpret Jesus as a revelation of and from the Godhead? What does Je...

Pentecost 12B 12 August 2018 Ephesians 4:25-5:2               There is a phrase:  If you don’t have something nice to say ,  don’t say anything at all . What does this mean? (If you can’t say something that’s helpful or kind, then stay quiet.) There is an alteration of this quote that I’ve been thinking of lately:  If you don’t have something nice to say, come sit by me. [1]             In our society, “nice” doesn’t usually mean kind, truthful, or helpful. Usually, “be nice” means “don’t make a fuss” or “just go along with it” or “don’t be loud” or “stop making such a big deal”. Being nice often means less about fixing a problem and more about pretending there is no problem. When I think of the stress I feel on a daily basis, when I think of the news stories we hear, when I think of people who are being hurt daily by situation...