Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them; take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen. Once upon a time I taught 7th & 8th grade at St. Thomas the Apostle Roman Catholic School in Hyde Park, on the south side of Chicago. Teaching in a school that encompassed Pre-K…
Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them; take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen. I have spent more time in prayer about writing a sermon this week than I have for a long time. I’ve been trying to figure out how to preach here, today, in the aftermath of…
Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them; take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen. Okay, here’s your biblical Greek vocab word for the week: splanchnizomai. This word, found three times in the Gospel of Luke, means compassion. In today’s Gospel…
Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them; take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen. One of the things I’ve learned over the years is to pay attention when a word or image or theme comes up across multiple conversations or in different spheres of my life, often in what…
Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them; take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen. Last Thursday was the Feast of the Ascension – the day when we remember the last time the resurrected Jesus gathered with his friends before being lifted up to heaven before their very eyes. Next Sunday…
Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them; take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen. A certain woman named Lydia. We don’t know much about this woman. She was a worshiper of God – that is a Gentile who was studying Judaism, but not yet a convert. She was…
Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them; take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen. From time to time I have heard people say that if Jesus came back today he wouldn’t recognize the religion which bears his name. When people say that the implication is that there is…
The Rev. Scott Slater serves as Canon to the Ordinary in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. Following nine years as rector of Church of the Good Shepherd in Baltimore, he began serving on the bishops’ staff in July of 2010. As part of his role, he leads vestry retreats, assists congregations and clergy in conflict, and helps promote healthy leadership dynamics.
Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them; take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen. Night has passed and a new day is beginning. For this third, and final, time in the Gospel of John that Jesus appeared to the disciples after being raised from the dead, we watch the story…
Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them; take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen. How many of you heard the Gospel today and thought to yourself, “Oh, it’s the doubting Thomas story?” How many of you heard the Gospel today and thought to yourself, “Oh, it’s Pentecost already?” Ah,…