Learning to see the world with eyes of mud
Preconceived notions and rigid interpretations can blind people to God’s work. Be open to seeing God in unexpected forms, such as mud and mess, and be surprised by God’s creative action
Author: Nicholas Knisely
Sermon posting forecast: erratic
Over the next few weeks, including this weekend, my calendar is such that, between travel and other commitments, I’m not going to be able to keep my weekly sermon posting schedule. I’m sorry about that. And extra sorry that this weekend I don’t have a sermon from three years ago to share instead. But I see that one of my favorite preachers, Andrew Gerns, has already posted his sermon for this weekend. Here’s a taste: […]
Seeking in the Shadows
Nicodemus came with genuine questions about what God was doing, even when the answers were confusing and incomplete. That orientation — toward discernment rather than recruitment — is what distinguishes faith from politics, even when they are standing in the same room.
Pray for Peace and an end to War today
Please join with all of us in prayer today: Letter from Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe on Military Strike on Iran – The Episcopal Church Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be […]
Drunken Monkeys Confirmed
Boozy chimps fail urine test, confirm hotly debated theory – Ars Technica In short, “We find widespread physiological evidence of the consumption of alcohol by chimpanzees,” Maro said. “If there’s any doubt about the drunken monkey hypothesis—that there’s enough alcohol in the environment for animals to experience alcohol in a way analogous to humans—it’s been cleared up. Food and alcohol evolutionarily are, as it turns out, very much connected, especially in the lives of chimpanzees.” […]
The Assayer in the Wilderness
The wounds from trauma, from broken institutions, from years wandering in cultural and spiritual wilderness - those are brought to the refiner’s fire not to be forgotten but to be transformed.
Prayers for Pawtucket
Devastated by the news of today’s shooting in Pawtucket, I am holding all the victims and their families in my thoughts and prayers. I am also praying for the first responders as they grapple with the senselessness of this tragedy.
The Transfiguration: Living Between the Cloud and the Cross
The Transfiguration reminds us: the voices worth listening to are often the ones being dismissed. Throughout Scripture, God's people repeatedly misunderstand what God is doing. And in our own time? We see this same pattern. We divide over worship styles, over politics, over who's in and who's out, while the prophetic call to care for the vulnerable, to seek justice, to practice mercy gets drowned out by certainty and self-righteousness.
A City Set Upon A Hill
Jesus is saying something challenging: the community he's building doesn't operate on the logic of retaliation. It breaks cycles instead of perpetuating them.
By This Sign You Will Conquer
Jesus describes a world where the poor are lifted up, the mourners are comforted, the peacemakers are honored, and those who suffer for righteousness are named as blessed. Micah describes a people shaped by justice, kindness, and humble faithfulness. Both texts point toward a way of life that runs directly against the grain of the principalities and powers of this world. The message of the Cross is that this way of life — this way […]