LTSP Blogs

   In these last and evil days someone needs to be reminded and someone else needs to learn that the word of God about a woman through a woman to women on Women’s Day works for men too, because women are the image of God, not once removed, but in everyway, image-bearers.

The recent political discourse in which some politicians are seeking to modify the publuc square by imposing their religious values on on society led me to reflect on the ways in which Christian faith informed the Civil Rights Movement. My reflection on the two very different appeals to religion in the public square can be found here.

The image to the right is of a hymnal from a United Methodist Church destroyed in a tornado on February 29, 2012 in Harveyville, Kansas. The hymnal survived.  It was found in the midst of absolute ruin.  It was beaten and battered – but it survived.

Today I awoke like everyone else to hear about another school shooting. This one was in Chardon, Ohio where two students died and three others were injured by a classmate who opened fire in the school cafeteria. It has been an all too common thread in our society – mass shootings at school, in church, at home, and in the workplace.

Genesis 9:8-10: God says, “I, yes I, am establishing my covenant with you all and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, from birds to herds, every living thing on earth with you, as many as came out of the ark.” And, Mark 1:13: “Jesus, was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by the Satan; and he was with the wild animals; and the angels ministered to him.” This morning I invite you to consider a ‘Cosmic Covenant with Creation.’

"In many cultures there is an ancient custom of giving a tenth of each year’s income to some holy use. For Christians, to observe the forty days of lent is to do the same thing with roughly a tenth of each year’s days. After being baptized by John in the river Jordan, Jesus went off alone into the wilderness where he spent forty days asking himself the question what it meant to be Jesus.

2Corinthians 6:1 As we work together with Christ, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain.

Let us pray: In the Name of the Author, the Word and the Translator. Amen.

Shabbat Mishpatim & Shabbat Shekalim 5772

On this Shabbat that we examine toroth, laws, that we hope are rooted in mishpat, justice I offer my mechatzi shekalim, my half-shekel, my two cents on this double-shabbat.

 The Commemoration of Fr. Absalom Jones

(read today's lessons)

This morning I’d like to talk to you about Radical, Threatening Love.

I went to get my eyes checked this week and had to list my age, allergies, and current prescriptions on the patient information page. (Five meds I take daily.) I had to list my allergies to medications. (I had a couple. Namely, penicillin.) And I had to do a glaucoma and cataracts test. (Good for now.)