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I’m Afraid of Falling (So What Am I Doing in This Ivory Tower?)
My undergraduate degree is in Cultural Anthropology, and during my junior year of college an Anthropologist told us that the education we were receiving would very likely distance us from the people we...
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I Used To Be A Murderer
Yes, that’s right: I used to be a murderer. That probably comes as a shock to most of you. I mean, this is Pastor Mary Jo, champion of non-violence and believer in the holiness of all life–Pastor Mary...
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Calling Forward the Ways of Church: A Woman Named Virgina Kreyer
Today is “Access Sunday” in the UCC, a day for celebrating the inclusion of people with disabilities in our congregations and denomination. In honor of this day I am posting this bio of Virginia Kreyer...
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Immaculate Conception for All
What good is to me for the Creator to give birth to his Son if I also do not give birth to him in my time and my culture? —Meister Eckhart It so happens that, in a mother-to-be’s womb, the amniotic...
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Contemplation
Psalms 119:1-24 Psalms 12, 13, 14 Isaiah 2:1-11 Luke 20:19-26 Finding a path you believe God wants you to walk on can be a difficult endeavor, relying on countless factors. In our world of constant...
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Waiting, Watching
When I was in elementary school I loved Fridays. Not only was it “tater tot day” in the cafeteria, but every Friday we played dodgeball during PE. Dodgeball was one of my favorite games; running,...
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Divine Partnering
They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be...
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Waiting
Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. All this waiting. I’m tired of waiting. And here I find myself in an entire season of waiting. I’m tired of waiting for friends and family to find jobs. I’m tired of waiting...
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Stop. Look. Listen.
Psalms 24, 29, 8, 84 Isaiah 42:1-12 John 3:16-21 Ephesians 6:10-20 Take heed of the old adage for crossing the street: “Stop. Look. Listen.” Three simple directions that can assuredly help you see the...
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Waiting on the Lord
Backstory Two years ago, when I wrote this, I found myself in a very fearful waiting place. I was without a job, without any prospects, and with the knowledge that my money would soon run out while in...
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God Asks Much
Luke 1:39-56 As I read today’s scripture I am struck by several things. This scripture, like my own schedule this week before Christmas, has too much going on. There are so many important lessons in...
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The Inverting Incarnation
But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. —Luke 2:1-20 Have you ever felt as though the world was upside down? In the reading for today, we begin with a decree from the most...
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St. John, Apostle and Evangelist
1 John 1:1-9 John 21:19b-24 Here we are on the third day of Christmas. The gifts have been unwrapped. Families are departing from Christmas Day gatherings back to their respective homes. Some of us...
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The World Prayed for Me
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’ Listen! Your sentinels lift up...
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Stop Stoning Yourselves
John 7:53-8:11 Now, there’s a cheery passage for reflection on the Eve of New Year’s Eve! This story has seemed barbaric to me since I first read the passage in my teens. The Pharisees, in their...
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New Years Paradox
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to...
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What’s On Your Bucket List?
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy...
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The Wisdom of Women
I must confess, Epiphany is my favorite day of the Christian year. It is ripe with possibilities that often go overlooked. It also has deep personal meaning to me because of the tradition my family of...
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Does God Care About the City?
And when he drew near and saw the city he wept over it. ~ John 19:41, RSV If nothing else, God cares about the cities because they have people in them. That’s what makes them cities. In 1994 Bruce...
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