Joy is just as powerfully those quiet moments when someone says, “You are loved.”

I found the bags of dried fruit. They were in produce, of course.

Advent is a time to look forward to Christmas: hope, anticipation and longing for Christ

Peace be with you, and may you have a meaningful Advent.

Time to empty our lives of the terror of urgency. Time is always running out. Time running out, or being fulfilled?

What does Christ the King Sunday even mean, and how is it relevant to our understanding of the truth that came from on High? 

For people of faith, Thanksgiving is constant, a perpetual response to God's grace, without ceasing. For the faithful, Thanksgiving is every day.

Lets talk about passion. Can you, in one sentence, name your passion? What about the passion of this church? We have the mission statement on the cover of the bulletin most weeks, but where do we have our heart?

P.S. As I finished writing this note, I tuned my ears to the lesson Joann was teaching the after school children. A piping little child's voice was speaking: "you should love your neighbor as yourself, and if it is a stranger, you should be kind to them."

Today, we have Twitter rants and long Facebook posts. Luther's list was really just a repost compiled of other ideas already pinned and spoken about for over a century.

As for the cookie bribes? I saved them as snacks for the entire car to enjoy on the road trip. 

Two weeks ago, only two weeks ago, I wrote these words: "The strong community fills our gaps, makes us whole, supports us in time of need, rejoices when we are happy."

Our feast is but a microcosm of the great feast of God where all are welcome at the table. 

A strong community can take these differences and sit at the table together and enjoy the company and fellowship. 

Think about someone in your life you have learned wisdom from: how did you learn wisdom from this person, what wise traits do they embody?

The ways of Wisdom are foolish to the simple, laughable to the scoffers, and incomprehensible to those caught up in the ways of this world. 

"nothing of significance happened on this day, September 11. If you know of an important historical event to share, please email {the webmaster}."

James asks us which siblings are we?

if someone were to see your actions, would they know you are a person of faith? Would they know you are a loving and caring person? Would they know both, or neither?

Those disciples that said "this is a hard teaching" were right, but it is hard in a different way for us than it was for them so many years ago. Culture and time change some meanings, and in the change, the truth is revealed.