Most of us start Lent asking ourselves, or being asked, “What will you give up?” This act of giving something up – a favorite food, a frivolous pastime or common distraction – is all many people know of Lent. At the heart of Lent is the effort to identify those aspects of our lives that … Continue reading Lent: Not an end unto itself, but a call to greater action
Isaiah
Grace that won’t be shaken
“'Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:10 Ancient peoples often attributed natural disasters, including earthquakes, to the power of angry gods. Anger the gods, the … Continue reading Grace that won’t be shaken
Advent: A time for spiritual housekeeping
There’s a lot of housekeeping this time of year. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, we spend a lot of time tidying up for the arrival of loved ones. But, there’s a different kind of cleaning that is called for this season, for a different kind of loved one. You see, despite the manic gift-shopping and decorating, … Continue reading Advent: A time for spiritual housekeeping
Praying their names
A reflection in prayer on the victims from Tree of Life On Sunday our nation learned the names of the 11 victims claimed in our nation’s latest round of senseless, hate-driven gun violence. An anti-Semite, armed with an AR-15 rifle and three handguns, murdered our brothers and sisters while they were worshiping and celebrating the … Continue reading Praying their names
Fasting: our Lenten call to action
Most of us start Lent asking ourselves, or being asked, what we will give up. This act of giving something up – a favorite food, a frivolous pastime or common distraction – is all many people know of Lent, and can broadly be categorized as fasting. The practice of fasting is an ancient and important … Continue reading Fasting: our Lenten call to action
The inward journey to Epiphany
If you follow the traditional church calendar you may recall today is the last day of Christmas, which also makes it Epiphany Eve. The Epiphany, often overlooked in the wake of Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, is a holy day unto itself, and a festival day in many countries. Drawn from the Greek word epipháneia, … Continue reading The inward journey to Epiphany
James R. Neal 