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Holy Tuesday | John 12:20-36 | Touching Our Spaces of Sorrow
Reflection Sister Helen Prejean’s 1993 book Dead Man Walking , adapted into a 1995 film starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn, tells the story of her work with two convicted killers on death row. Sh... -
blog
Where Is Jesus? A Question at the Heart of Advent
“Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” It’s a simple question. It’s also a question on everyone’s minds in the gospels. But it hits differently when you remember who asks i... -
blog
Holy Saturday | John 19:38-42 | Stopping to Mourn
Reflection It is striking that after Jesus’ death there are no close companions left to claim his body. All his public followers scattered. Only a secret follower, Joseph of Arimathea, accompanied by... -
blog
An Order of Worship for a Blue Christmas Service (aka a Longest Night Service)
A Blue Christmas Service is offered especially for those hurting during the holidays. It’s often offered December 21, the longest night of the year. Some come because they are mourning the death of... -
liturgy
Father, in this holy night Your Son our Savior
Pastor: Father, in this holy night Your Son our Savior was born in human flesh. Renew Your Church as the Body of Christ. People: Holy God, hear our prayer. Pastor: In this holy night... -
illustration
Evil and Incarnation: Jesus Enters the World
Several years ago near the start of Advent, I awoke to a television report of five people murdered in a fast-food restaurant, and later that same morning I opened my newspaper and read that two robber... -
Quote
Ash Wednesday is full of joy...The source of all sorrow is the illusion that of ourselves we are anything but dust. -
Quote
The Advent story we associate with the joy of Christmas actually begins with deep sorrow and longing [the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah]. But thankfully, in the kingdom of God there is always more ... -
liturgy
Adapted from Isaiah 53:2-7
Pastor: For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised ... -
illustration
A Light in the Darkness
“They will look toward the earth and see only distress, darkness, and the gloom of affliction, and they will be driven into thick darkness.” (Isa. 8:22) In The Two Towers , the second novel in Tolki... -
illustration
Longing for Eden
In a letter to his son, J. R. R. Tolkien famously wrote, “We all long for [Eden], and we are constantly glimpsing it: our whole nature at its best and least corrupted, its gentlest and most humane, is... -
liturgy
Isaiah 53:2-5
For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised... -
illustration
The Christmas Gift
A preaching professor at Harvard University tells the story of the year his 5-year-old son was working on an art project in his kindergarten class. It was made of plaster, resembled nothing in particu... -
Quote
On Holy Saturday Jesus entered into the kind of forsakenness and abandonment beyond anything any person could experience. He was not content to deal with our sin problem; his love extended into the wo... -
Quote
Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song. -
liturgy
In this season of Advent, we celebrate
Pastor: In this season of Advent, we celebrate that Jesus has come, and that He promises to come again! When He comes, He will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the ... -
liturgy
Prayer of Confession for Christmas
Leader: Today, we celebrate that Jesus has come, and that He promises to come again! We know He came to bring light and hope, People: but our hearts are often shrouded by darkness and despair. ... -
liturgy
Descend upon our hearts, Spirit of God,
Descend upon our hearts, Spirit of God, For our wills are weak, and we need your power. Our spirits are dry, and we need your refreshment. Our minds cannot comprehend, and we need your enlightenment.... -
blog
Between the Poles of Human Experience (Between Good Friday & Easter)
Some time back I had the thought that life, the Christian life, can be looked at through the two poles of Good Friday and Easter. While, of course, we would prefer to always be living an "Easter&... -
liturgy
When we allow darkness to overcome the
When we allow darkness to overcome the light, forgive us, Lord. When we reduce Christmas to plastic and tinsel, have mercy on us, Father. When hardness of heart keeps us from seeing and hearing an... -
liturgy
Lord, high and holy, meek and
Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory. Let me lear... -
Quote
..a guilty suffering spirit is more open to grace than an apathetic or smug soul. Therefore, an age without a sense of sin, in which people are not even sorry for not being sorry for their sins, is in... -
Quote
Suffering is nothing by itself. But suffering shared with the passion of Christ is a wonderful gift, the most beautiful gift, a token of love. -
liturgy
By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high
By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. RESPON... -
Quote
The crowd went wild as they got nearer. This was the moment they had been waiting for. All the old songs came flooding back, and they were singing, chanting, cheering and laughing. At last, their drea... -
blog
Good Friday | Psalm 22 | Forsaken and Alone
Reflection The television series Alone follows ten individuals who are left to fend for themselves and by themselves in the wilderness. Now, these aren’t everyday individuals plucked from Main St... -
Quote
Something strange is happening—there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. God has died in the flesh and hell trem... -
Quote
We want to avoid suffering, death, sin, ashes. But we live in a world crushed and broken and torn, a world God Himself visited to redeem. We receive his poured-out life, and being allowed the high pri... -
liturgy
Adapted from “The Precious Blood” in The Valley of Vision
Leader: Blessed Lord Jesus, before your cross I kneel and see the heinousness of my sin, my iniquity that caused you to be made a curse, the evil that provokes divine wrath. All: Show me the enormit... -
liturgy
Almighty God, you have surprised us
Almighty God, you have surprised us with your presence in unexpected ways. In the expectations of our routine, we have missed the treasure that you place before us. We come to worship you in community...
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A
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B
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C
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D
- Dancing
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E
- Easter
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F
- Face of God
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G
- Garden of Eden
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- Global Church
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H
- Habits
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I
- Identity
- Idolatry
- Ignorance
- Ignoring God
- Illness
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- In Christ
- In, But Not Of, the World
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J
- Jealousy
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- Joy of our Salvation
- Judaism
- Justice
- Justice System
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K
L
- Lack of Faith
- Lack of Forgiveness
- Lack of Trust
- Landscape
- Language
- Law (Torah)
- Laying Down Your Life
- Leaders
- Leading Others Astray
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- Limitations
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- Little
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- Losing Yourself
- Loss
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- Love of God and Neighbor
- Loving Kindness
- Loving Other Christians
- Loving your Neighbor
- The Lamb of God
- The Last Supper
- The Logos
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- The Lordship of Christ
M
- Magnificat
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- The Magi
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- The Messiah
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N
O
P
- Pain
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- Palm Sunday
- Paradox
- Parents
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- Pastor Responsibilities
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- Peter
- Pilgrimage
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- Pleasure
- Political Leaders
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- Pollution
- Poor
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- Possessions
- Pouring Ourselves out
- Poverty
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- Prison
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- Punishment for Sin
- Purification
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- Purpose
- The Pit
- The Power of the Holy Spirit
- The Prince of Peace
- The Prophets
Q
R
- Race (Running)
- Racial Reconciliation
- Racism
- Rain
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- Retreat
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- Revelation
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- Riches
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- Risks
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- The Reliability of Scripture
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- The Rich
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- The Roman Empire
S
- Sacrifice
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- Sadness
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- Self-Centeredness
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- Shadow
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- Shortcomings
- Sickness
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- Sin
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- Sinfulness
- Singing
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- Sins of Omission
- Sins of the Church
- Slavery
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- Social Media
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- Son of God
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- Speech
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- Spiritual Battles
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- Sports
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- Stillness
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- Stuff
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- Sun
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- Surprise
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- Sweetness
- Symbols
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- The Saints
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- The Soul
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- The Star of Bethlehem
T
- Taking Up the Cross
- Teachers
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- Testimonies
- Thankfulness
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- Theology
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- Triumph
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- Trouble
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- Truth
- Turning a Blind Eye
U
V
W
- The Way
- The Will
- The Work of the Holy Spirit
- Wages of Sin
- Waiting
- Waiting on God
- Walking
- Wandering
- War
- Ways
- Weakness
- Weakness of Will
- Wealth
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- Weddings
- Wickedness
- Wilderness
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- Wisdom of God
- Witnesses
- Womb
- Wonder
- Work
- World
- World Communion Sunday
- World Leaders
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- Worldliness
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- Worship
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Top_level_categories by Reference
Genesis
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Nehemiah
Psalm
- Ps 1 (2)
- Ps 4 (1)
- Ps 8 (3)
- Ps 16 (7)
- Ps 19 (2)
- Ps 22 (4)
- Ps 23 (6)
- Ps 24 (3)
- Ps 25 (6)
- Ps 27 (6)
- Ps 28 (2)
- Ps 29 (1)
- Ps 30 (2)
- Ps 31 (1)
- Ps 32 (4)
- Ps 33 (1)
- Ps 34 (7)
- Ps 36 (1)
- Ps 37 (1)
- Ps 38 (2)
- Ps 40 (1)
- Ps 46 (9)
- Ps 47 (1)
- Ps 51 (21)
- Ps 57 (1)
- Ps 65 (1)
- Ps 70 (1)
- Ps 72 (3)
- Ps 84 (1)
- Ps 86 (2)
- Ps 89 (1)
- Ps 90 (5)
- Ps 91 (1)
- Ps 95 (2)
- Ps 96 (5)
- Ps 98 (2)
- Ps 100 (2)
- Ps 103 (8)
- Ps 104 (1)
- Ps 107 (1)
- Ps 110 (1)
- Ps 111 (2)
- Ps 113 (1)
- Ps 116 (1)
- Ps 118 (13)
- Ps 119 (2)
- Ps 121 (1)
- Ps 122 (1)
- Ps 124 (2)
- Ps 130 (2)
- Ps 131 (1)
- Ps 133 (1)
- Ps 136 (2)
- Ps 139 (9)
- Ps 145 (2)
- Ps 147 (2)
- Ps 148 (2)
- Ps 150 (1)