We were visiting with friends this weekend and comparing notes about worship.  One of our friends noted that a non-denominational church near them offered an “informal” worship service free of liturgical forms.  “We just can’t compete, given the formality of our approach to worship,” our friend observed. I can’t speak for my Christian sisters and brothers who favor less liturgical approaches to worship.  But those of us who use liturgical forms should never buy into the logic that our approach... Read more

There isn’t just one prodigal in the parable of the prodigal son. There are two. One leaves home. The other stays home. The first can’t believe that God can love him. The other believes that God can’t love him — without making sure that it’s the other son God doesn’t love. Neither of them “gets” God…. God’s capacity for forgiveness God’s capacity for love We are inhabited by both prodigals… Prodigal daughters — prodigal sons. One dominates the other from... Read more

This year, more than any in the past, I have noticed a lot of nonsense about Lent.  The number of silly recommendations for its observance seems to have grown exponentially: Care for the poor Give up plastic bags Reduce your carbon footprint to zero  Don’t misunderstand me.  I am not arguing that any of these things are not noble goals in and of themselves.  Caring for the poor is the obligation of any Christian, whether it is in political fashion... Read more

Discerning the will of God would be a simple matter, if life itself were simple — “simple,” meaning uncomplicated, easily understood, consisting of one dimension. If the particulars of our lives were nothing more than a series of choices that arose out of circumstances orchestrated by God — if the choices made were nothing more than a direct “yes” or “no” to the work of God in our lives — then the task of discernment would not be nearly as... Read more

I had a conversation with our dog the other day.  She was wandering off to another corner of the house and I asked her, “Hilda, what are you doing?” She responded with remarkable clarity, “Dog…dog is what I do.” It strikes me that dogs are utterly and completely at home in their dog-ness.  They aren’t redefined by any moment of activity.  They are what they are. But it isn’t nearly as simple for us human beings. We frequently let jobs... Read more

Musician and singer Marc Cohn has me thinking this week about the spiritual value of friends who do more than “hang out” or spend time with us.  An important role in any spiritual friendship is the role of witness.  Someone who allows us to name our struggles, explore their interior, and testify to the efforts we have made to live with faith, courage, and integrity. That can be a lonely journey and it is easy to lose our way: We... Read more