This Wednesday, many gathered for Ash Wednesday to begin this season of Lent. With 59 in worship between the noon and 7pm services, I was moved. Moved by the ashen mark of God’s love of foreheads. Moved by familiar faces and neighbor faces we are learning. Moved by those who brought their confessions to the cross to be shredded and then embrace…
Greetings, you have found favor with God. You are highly favored. Know that God loves you and wants to use you to fulfill God’s promise. You are highly favored by God, let your heart glorify the Lord. God loves you! Mary heard these words before God gave her the role of carrying Jesus. I have to imagine those words ran counter to…
At the first church I served, I was offering chapel time for the preschool crowd. It was this time of year and we were talking about baptism. We read the story of Jesus’ baptism, and began to talk about our own baptisms. I had with me a baptismal bowl. As I would talk about Jesus’ baptism, I would take water in my…