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Weekly reflections from the preaching pastor.
There are many reasons we find ourselves “bent over and quite unable to stand up straight.” Life has a way of layering on the burdens...
While my inclination is to dismiss this text as an anomaly, as Jesus’ followers, we need to tend to its energy and its disruptive message. We love the images of Jesus that convey love and compassion, but when Jesus comes at us with fire, we are taken aback.
How does it work for you when someone tells you to “have no fear?” For me, it often has the opposite inner reaction; I find myself more afraid. My first thought is, “Why? Is there something more for me to be afraid of?”
What are we to make of this man who saves and stores all his grain and goods for himself? What are the implications of his actions? What does God teach us about abundance? These are all good questions.
Prayer is a deeply relational and grounding reality for our lives. The constant return to prayer is first an attentive listening for God’s abiding presence. Prayer is the foundational intention to turn to God as divine parent, the source of love, care, compassion, healing, and guidance.
Mary and Martha hit some kind of primitive nerve in most of us. First-born daughters are often Camp Martha, last-born kids love Mary’s way of being in the moment.
