One of the quirks of doing ministry within the liturgical calendar is that we often have to think about things out of order, so that they might be presented in order. That is, in the middle of Advent, I really should be planning Lent, in a time of hopeful expectation, planning the mournful journey to the tomb. The liturgical calendar …
Celebration and Mourning (Plus: Holy Week, Easter, and a Vote
Holy Week Easter Vote on Pastoral Resident This Sunday, Palm Sunday, is the beginning of Holy Week. The liturgical year began with Advent and the birth of Jesus. One would think that its culmination would be in the death of Jesus after a full year. However, our tradition places that event in the middle of the year signifying that death …
Tears and Laughter
One of the traditional purposes of the church is to proclaim the word of God. Judging by current trends, maybe that’s harder than one would think. My preaching professor told us a story of a young minister who found out ten minutes before a service that he would be filling in to preach. He had never preached before and certainly …
Lost in Death, Found in Life (Plus: Notes on Ordination)
This week’s passage might be the most well-known parable in the Bible. Since it is so well-known, we also know exactly what it means. We are the terrible son, God is the forgiving father, and the bitter brother is, I don’t know, Robert Jeffress? As we discussed last week, the beauty of a parable is that it opens more questions …