by Hans Jorgensen | Apr 30, 2022 | Devotions
After Easter, the disciples didn’t know what exactly to do. There wasn’t a clear plan after Jesus’ resurrection, so they went back to doing what they knew to do. John 21 says, “Peter said to the other disciples, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with...
by Liesl Spitz | Apr 21, 2022 | Devotions
Beloveds,Tomorrow a pile of compost will be dumped behind Kenan’s and my house, as we start to enrich the soil we hope will bear fruit this coming season. As I anticipate digging my hands into the barrels full of dark, rich dirt, I can’t help but think of Thomas who...
by Hans Jorgensen | Apr 1, 2022 | Devotions
In John 12, Mary took a pound of costly perfume and anointed Jesus’ feet so the whole house smelled of the fragrance. Have you ever experienced anything extravagant like this?This gospel passage happens right after Jesus raised Mary’s brother, Lazarus, again to life...
by Hans Jorgensen | Mar 25, 2022 | Devotions
At the beginning of Luke 15, it says that religious leaders were grumbling and saying that Jesus “welcomes sinners and eats with them.” It is in that context that Jesus tells the well-loved parable of the prodigal son (and the uptight brother).When you hear the story...
by Hans Jorgensen | Mar 18, 2022 | Devotions
In Luke 13, people ask Jesus about a horrible event where Pilate killed Galileans. Jesus said, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way, they were worse sinners than all Galileans?” In other words, Jesus says that bad things often just happen...
by Hans Jorgensen | Mar 4, 2022 | Devotions
In Genesis 15, God takes the aging, childless Abram outside and says, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them. So shall your descendants be.”How do you think that felt to Abram? What would he have said to Sarai, his wife? When I look at...
by Hans Jorgensen | Mar 3, 2022 | Devotions
In Luke 4 as we begin the season of Lent, we hear the devil tempting Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.”The story of Jesus’ temptation is rich for all of us who feel tempted in our lives. The temptation to try to be...
by Liesl Spitz | Feb 25, 2022 | Devotions
Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” — not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them and they were terrified as...
by Liesl Spitz | Feb 17, 2022 | Devotions
Sometimes I find that the more familiar a part of scripture is to me, the more puzzling it becomes. This is true of Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain in Luke, which we continue hearing from this week in chapter 6, verses 27-38.“Do to others as you would have them do to you,”...
by Liesl Spitz | Feb 11, 2022 | Devotions
Jeremiah 17:7: “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.”I remember the realization in the first years of grieving the loss of my cousin, that perhaps faith is not longing for God, but that God is longing itself. God shifted from the object of...
