It has never really dawned on me before that, since I’m a habitual Christian, I’m like the people of Nazareth, overly familiar with Jesus. I am in danger of ignoring the call of the Christ to the yearning God-thing within me.
The diverse traditions associated with the name of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, remind us not to let our zeal get in the way of our enlightenment.
These stories together say to me that effective action comes from both laying the groundwork in advance and then taking the risk to act on the plan.
Today’s gospel calls us to repentance. What does repentance mean to this evangelist, though? Repentance may be less about guilt and more about redressing inequality and injustice.
Will we heal the world by drinking wine together? No, but we might heal this community.
Is there a little Hildegard in any of us? Time to look inside and see if a tiny bit of her spirit and her dedication are present in me. I don’t want to be a saint, but I wouldn’t mind being strong, open, and wise.
Today we celebrate the power of defiance in the life of one of the Bible’s most overlooked queens.
Again and again as we grow spiritually we must live our way beyond everything imposed upon us by our own and others’ understanding. Giving up, letting go and taking on, we serve so that God’s name is glorified. In God’s love, we can do hard things.
How can we lift ourselves up today? Where our eyes go, perhaps our hearts will follow.
by Maria Evans Job 40:1,41:1-11 In our reading from Job, God is explaining divine might (and pushing at Job’s ego in the