Alleluia, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia! Looking back at last Easter, I can’t believe how naïve I was. I thought this pandemic would last maybe a couple of months, and that we’d be able to worship again in our sanctuary come May or June, and just go back to ‘normal’. […]
GOSPEL READING Matthew 21:1-11 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If […]
On this day, March 21st, in the year 1685 –Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach. He was the 8th and youngest child of Johann Ambrosius and Elisabeth Bach. Two days later, he was baptized, and consequently raised as a Lutheran. Johann Sebastian wasn’t the first musician in his family. This tradition went back […]
Our planet earth looks blue and beautiful from outer space. It’s the world we know. It’s our living space. And, by the way, it’s the only one we have. Mars is too dry, as we are seeing again – too lifeless. The world we know is populated by billions of people of different colors, sizes, […]
My husband Fred and I have been watching more TV than usual over the course of the last year – it happens when you don’t get out much. And so I’ve discovered – and got hooked on – a particular PBS show: ‘Finding Your Roots’ with historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. (show pic ‘Gates’). […]
Have you ever been in denial about something? I am the first one to admit that there were times in my life when I was in denial. Until I got a physical recently, I was in denial about how many pandemic pounds I had put on, for example. Now what, […]
As I was getting my annual physical a couple of weeks ago, the intake nurse asked me, among other things, ‘Have you felt down or depressed over the course of the last year?’ I must have given her an incredulous look, because she gave me a little, understanding smile. I said, ‘Who hasn’t?’ The […]
This day, Ash Wednesday, marks the beginning of the Lenten season, which lasts for about seven weeks until Good Friday. In Christian tradition, Lent is a time of reflection, of repentance, and fasting. It is a time to reflect on the suffering and death of Jesus Christ – and we begin this season with […]
Today’s gospel lesson is quite spectacular: Peter, James, and John witness how Jesus, their rabbi, son of a simple carpenter in the remote outpost of Nazareth, is transfigured, transformed before their eyes on the mountaintop. His face shines like the sun, his clothes, soiled from the long travel on the road, become dazzling […]
You may have heard that there was a controversy about the choice of Time Magazine’s ‘Person / Persons of the Year’ 2020. Time Magazine chose to put then President elect Joe Biden and Vice-President elect Kamala Harris on the cover and declare them ‘Persons of the Year’. Which is not an unusual choice: Donald […]
‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent, and believe in the good news!’ These are the very first words that Jesus is reported saying in the gospel according to Mark. We hear about Jesus in the verses leading up to today’s gospel story – and it has to […]
The Bible is full of interesting and multi-layered characters. The vast majority of them are not perfect – they are all human, after all, so why would they be? And wouldn’t perfection be boring? At least when it comes to storytelling? I am grabbed by one of the characters of our lesson from the […]
The Jordan River is not one of the mighty rivers of this world. Compared to other rivers, it is tiny: it’s merely 156 miles long and 60 feet across at its widest. It’s fairly shallow: its deepest point is about 17 feet. It’s never been navigable. It is formed by tributaries in the mountains […]
I want you to think back exactly one year, to the beginning of January 2020. What were your expectations for that year? What were your plans for that brand new year? I remember that, in January 2020, my husband Fred and I were seriously planning a trip to Spain, which was supposed to happen […]
This is the season of holiday songs. There are certain radio stations here in the Bay Area that have played nothing but holiday songs for weeks now. What is your favorite Christmas song – or carol? That may be a tough question – I have to think hard about it, there are so many […]
The gospel according to Mark stands out among the gospel accounts we have in our Bible. It is the one gospel story that cuts right to the chase. No mention of Mary and Joseph or any other of Jesus’ relatives, no birth story, no stories from Jesus’ childhood – no, after a one sentence […]
I love the Advent season. It’s my favorite church season of the year. Always has been. When I was a child, Advent was this time of joyful and festive anticipation, a time of excited waiting. It was the countdown to Christmas! There would be decorations and lights everywhere as the days were […]
Today, I want to tell you a story about hope, faith, and love. Years ago, in my previous congregation, a young woman came in during office hours. I could tell she was agitated, even desperate. And so we sat down, and she started talking. ‘My car broke down, and I need […]
‘Is not the day of the Lord darkness, not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?’ We heard these words just a few moments ago. They come from the book of Amos, one of the prophets in the Old Testament, and those are not necessarily words I would choose as words of comfort, […]
Katie Luther enters with a rag covering her face and some smoking herbs in her hand. She tiredly takes the face covering off and starts her monologue. Ah, dear people! What times we live in! The plague is back in town. People are getting sick, people are dying. All we can do is try […]
