Communion and Community
Joanne Gallardo
I have a very distinct memory of my first communion. I was with my mom, at her church, and I was around 7 or 8 years old. We were a small congregation, and we stood in a circle. In the center were perfectly square pieces of white bread and what smelled to be Welch’s grape […]
A Kerfuffle over Skin Color
Dan Schrock
When you imagine what biblical people looked like, what skin color do they have? For instance, what skin color do you imagine David and Solomon had? Or Ruth and Naomi? When you read the letters of Romans, Galatians, and Philippians, what skin color do you suppose Paul had? When you meditate on the stories about […]
Tending the Mission of God in the World
Sherm Kauffman
Some years ago, I had the privilege of participating in several consultations that our denomination was a part of that was led by Church Innovations, a church consulting organization based at Luther Seminary in St Paul, Minnesota. The leadership for Church Innovations was a group of PhD and professor types that were trying hard to […]
Jesus Tending Community and God’s Mission
Sherm Kauffman
Last week we considered the spiritual formation work that Jesus needed to engage…in order to prepare him for the mission he was sent on. Jesus submitted himself to be identified with the fresh spiritual awakening that was occurring. John the Baptist offered a baptism of repentance and Jesus chose to participate even though repentance didn’t […]
Picking up the Cross: A Christian Response to Charlottesville
Joanne Gallardo
Several weeks ago I received an email inviting my participation in a counter-protest happening in Charlottesville, Virginia. People from a non-Mennonite faith community I was a part of in D.C. invited people of faith to a non-violent collective action to protest Neo-Nazis, alt-right supporters, and White nationalists gathering to respond to the city’s intent to […]
The Time Between the Times
Sherm Kauffman
In the spring of 1972 I started a love affair with the writings of Luke… the traditionally accredited author of “The Gospel of Luke” and “Acts of the Apostles.” I’ll blame Professor Howard Charles with leading me down this path. Luke is the only gentile writer of Biblical text. His two volume record has a […]
Loss
Dan Schrock
In February 2016, Laura Kelly Fanucci gave birth to identical twin daughters, named Margaret and Abigail. Both babies were premature, both had twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, and both died in their parents’ arms within two days. Laura, the mother, was well-acquainted with loss and grief long before the death of her twin daughters. When she was […]
An Act of Resistance
Dan Schrock
When I was a child, we sang a song about Zacchaeus in Sunday school. Perhaps you know the song: “Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he. . . .” One detail about that song puzzled me. Why did the songwriter emphasize Zacchaeus’s height? Yes, I know Luke 19 says […]
Practicing God’s Presence at the Table
Marilyn Rudy-Froese
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. And you shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Perhaps it is fitting, that in the midst of this series on hospitality, and on the Sunday in which we say […]
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