This past Sunday’s Gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary (John 4:5-42) sits firmly in my top five stories in the Bible. Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well has it all; deep theological tangles, historical symbolism, the crossing of societally imposed boundaries, and an incredible story of conversion and evangelism. Though not named…
Tag: community
Making our prayers particular.
The congregations I’m working with in my day job at the Minneapolis Area Synod have been recently exploring ways in to incorporate the neighbor in worship. For churches, worship is the central practice of community life and the language, rituals, stories, and symbols we center there form and undergird a community’s culture. So finding ways…
Snow can bring neighbors together.
If you’ve lived in Minnesota for any amount of time, you know that neighbors and snow removal are intimately connected. Following a big snow, like the one we experienced last week, it is not uncommon in many neighborhoods to find neighbors shoveling or snow-blowing one another’s sidewalks and driveways, extricating vehicles from the piles of…
Slowing Down
I had this moment in the middle of the pandemic’s height, one that I heard from many of my friends and family, where I realized that this virus had forced me to slow down, to stop doing some things, and gave me time enough to attend to my most precious relationships and my own wellbeing….
Start with a conversation.
The amount of time I’ve had the opportunity to spend with faith communities has convinced me that churches are eager to connect with their neighbors. There is a deep and profound desire to feel connected, and sadness that the disconnect has become so acute. Churches remember when they felt like an extension and essential association…
Hospitality: A Neighboring Practice in Epiphany
Each Epiphany, Christians all over the world remember the journey of the Magi and the gifts they presented to the infant Jesus. Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar are for us a reminder that hospitality, and the gracious provision for our neighbor, is an act of service we own one another. In fact, many of us chalk…