Posts

From Garden to Wilderness

Image
Genesis 2:15–17; 3:1–7 Romans 5:12–19 Matthew 4:1–11 The First Sunday of Lent always takes us to two places: a garden and a wilderness. Lent begins by reminding us where the story started — in a garden. In Genesis, humanity is placed in Eden not as prisoners, but as stewards. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.” The first human calling was care, communion, and trust. There was abundance. Beauty. Provision. There was only one boundary. And into that simplicity comes a subtle question: “Did God really say…?” Temptation does not begin with obvious rebellion. It begins with distortion. The serpent does not attack the command first — he questions the character of God. He suggests that God is withholding something. That obedience limits us. That freedom means taking control for ourselves. “You will be like God.” The tragedy of Eden is not merely that fruit is eaten. It is that trust is broken. Adam and Eve grasp for what they think...
Read more

Mountain Before Wilderness

Image
Exodus 24:12–18 | Psalm 2 | 2 Peter 1:16–21 | Matthew 17:1–9 There is always a mountain before the wilderness. Before Lent begins its forty days of prayer, repentance, and self-examination, the Church takes us up a mountain—into light, into glory. Before ashes, there is radiance. Before the cross, there is revelation. Today we stand with Peter, James, and John on the holy mountain. And what they see changes everything. The Mountain of Glory In Exodus 24, Moses goes up Mount Sinai. A cloud covers the mountain. The glory of the Lord settles like consuming fire. For six days the cloud remains. On the seventh, the Lord calls to Moses from the midst of it. The pattern is unmistakable. Then in Matthew 17, after six days, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a high mountain. There He is transfigured before them. His face shines like the sun. His clothes become dazzling white. The same God. The same glory. The same cloud. But something is different. In Exodus, the glory rests on t...
Read more

Being the Salt and the Light

Image
Isaiah 58:1-9a, (9b-12); 1 Corinthians 2:1-12; Matthew 5:13-20 The weeks before Lent invite us to slow down and take an honest look at ourselves. Not ashes yet. Not deep repentance yet. Just a simple, searching question: Does my faith show up in how I live? Today’s readings don’t let us avoid that question. When Faith Looks Full but Is Actually Empty God speaks clearly and firmly through Isaiah. The people pray. They fast. They seek God every day. From the outside, they look faithful and devoted. But God sees something deeper. They worship, yet treat others unfairly. They pray, yet ignore hunger and suffering. They act humble, yet keep their hearts closed. And God says plainly: This is not what I want. True faith, God says, looks like this: freeing people who are burdened feeding the hungry welcoming the homeless caring for those in need Spiritual practices are not the goal. They are meant to change us. If prayer doesn’t soften us, and worship doesn’t make us more compassio...
Read more

Holding the Light While We Wait

Image
The Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas) Malachi 3:1–4 · Hebrews 2:14–18 · Luke 2:22–40 The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord stands at a quiet threshold in the Church year. Behind us are the lights and songs of Christmas. Ahead of us lies the long road toward the Cross. Candlemas is not a loud feast. It is a listening one. It is about waiting. And it is especially about waiting when life has already known sorrow. The God Who Comes to Refine, Not to Flee (Malachi 3:1–4) The prophet Malachi announces with confidence: “The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple.” But he immediately asks a harder question: “Who can endure the day of his coming?” God’s presence, Malachi reminds us, is not always easy. It is refining fire. It is fuller’s soap. Not because God wishes to destroy, but because God desires to heal what has been distorted. For those who carry grief, this matters. God’s refining work is not proof of abandonment. Often, it is proof of nearnes, working q...
Read more

St. Paul's conversion - Stopped on the Road

Image
“I Was Not Disobedient to the Heavenly Vision” Conversion stories are often told as if they are neat and instant. A flash of light. A sudden change of heart. A life immediately put back together. But Scripture tells a truer story. Conversion is not neat. It is not safe. And it is rarely comfortable. Paul does not describe his conversion as a quiet spiritual moment. He describes it as a collision. “ I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.” (Acts 26:9) Paul begins with honesty. He does not soften his past. He does not say, “I was mistaken,” but “I was convinced.” He was faithful. He was zealous. He was sincere. And he was wrong. This is the first hard truth in Paul’s conversion: sincerity is not the same as truth. conviction is not the same as calling. Paul was not converted from unbelief to belief. He was converted from certainty to obedience. Struck Down, Not Destroyed On the road to Damascus, Paul is stopped—not by an ar...
Read more

Called Before We Know

Image
Isaiah 49:1–7 | 1 Corinthians 1:1–9 | John 1:29–42 Isaiah speaks with a kind of quiet boldness when he says, “The Lord called me before I was born; while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.” This is not poetic exaggeration. It is a deep theological claim about how God works. Calling does not begin with our awareness, our choices, or our faithfulness. It begins with God’s knowing. Most of us discover our calling only after the fact.   Looking back, we begin to see how God was shaping us through experiences that felt ordinary—or even painful—at the time. Restlessness. Failure. Long seasons of obscurity. None of these cancel a calling. In Scripture, they often accompany it. Isaiah himself admits discouragement. He confesses that his work has felt pointless, his effort wasted. Calling, after all, does not guarantee that our lives will feel effective. Faithfulness can feel unseen. Obedience can feel unrewarded. And yet God responds not with rebuke, but with a widening of ...
Read more

Beloved and Sent

Image
Isaiah 42:1–9 | Acts 10:34–43 | Matthew 3:13–17 The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord always feels a bit quiet—almost understated. There are no angels singing, no star in the sky, no wise men bearing gifts. Instead, there is a river, a crowd, and muddy water. And yet, this moment may be one of the most revealing scenes in the entire Gospel. Jesus steps into the Jordan not as a teacher, not as a miracle-worker, not yet even as a preacher. He comes simply as one among many. He joins the line of people seeking repentance, healing, and hope. The sinless one enters waters meant for sinners. That alone should give us pause. The Servant Who Does Not Shout Isaiah’s reading gives us a vision of God’s chosen servant that feels almost countercultural: “He will not cry or lift up his voice… A bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench.” This is not the image of a triumphant ruler or a forceful reformer. Instead, it is the portrait of a servant whose powe...
Read more