by Liesl Spitz | Feb 4, 2022 | Devotions
This Sunday we hear the call story of Isaiah, who has a vision of God on the throne. The experience is of total overwhelm: six-winged seraphim, smoke in the air, chants of holiness shaking the earth… When Isaiah responds in self-effacement, he is met with still...
by Hans Jorgensen | Jan 28, 2022 | Devotions
In Luke 4, Jesus says, “There were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” Jesus seems to be clear that his message will upset those who are nativist or nationalistic. Oftentimes I need to put...
by Hans Jorgensen | Jan 21, 2022 | Devotions
In Luke 4, Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor… release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind…” Jesus begins his public ministry by saying this is what guides him. It...
by Hans Jorgensen | Jan 14, 2022 | Devotions
Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit…” (1 Corinthians 12).This is part of a beautiful passage where Paul says that — together — we are the body of Christ, with many different gifts, abilities, and services through which...
by Hans Jorgensen | Jan 7, 2022 | Devotions
Luke 3 says, “When Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him a bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.’”Luke’s gospel highlights...
by Liesl Spitz | Dec 16, 2021 | Devotions
Before brothers James and John, before the apostle Peter or the evangelizer Paul, before the magi or the shepherds heard the news, there were two witnesses to the miracle of a Messiah coming in the flesh. Two women, Mary and Elizabeth, would bear this miracle into the...
by Hans Jorgensen | Dec 10, 2021 | Devotions
In Luke 3, John the Baptizer is an imposing feature. John speaks with authority, and all kinds of people come from all over the countryside to be baptized. Luke 3 says even tax collectors came out to the wilderness to be baptized. You can hear that was a little...
by Liesl Spitz | Dec 3, 2021 | Devotions
This summer Kenan and I (Liesl) took a trip to Denali National Park, where we backpacked for nine days in the wilderness. This was my first time hiking and camping where there were no trails or designated campsites, navigating instead by compass and topographic map....
by Hans Jorgensen | Nov 26, 2021 | Uncategorized
In Luke 21, Jesus says, “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.” Jesus could just as well be describing our day, couldn’t he?As we keep learning about the...
by Liesl Spitz | Nov 19, 2021 | Devotions
This Sunday is “Christ the King” a not-so-ancient festival of the church which points us to Christ’s reign as the fulfillment of all humanity. Pope Pius XI established Christ the King in 1925 to counter the destructive forces he saw in secularism, communism, and...
