Mindful Leader

Epiphany -- Listening Generously

Ephesians 3: 1-13

Liturgical material for the service developed by Kerry Greenhill, Sacred Stones.  

1 Kings -- God Speaks in a Small Still Voice, and Galatians 5 -- fruits of the Spirit.  Today the fruit is generosity.  

Advent 3, Waiting in Joy!

“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”  Isaiah 40:31 (English Standard Version)

From my newsletter article (click to read):  Our theme for Advent will be: Waiting patiently in hope, peace, joy and love.  Each week will focus on one of those four ideas.  We want to honor Advent I think part of how we honor the season is cherishing and embracing waiting.  The Isaiah above is a theme for all who want to move quickly.  ‘Renew your strength:  wait.’ 

This week, we are somehow, waiting patiently … in joy … This is Gaudete Sunday – which is a 25 cent Ecclesiastical Latin word meaning Rejoice. 

The sermon will be drawn from the Philippians 4: 4-7 – Rejoice. 

Advent 2, 2018 -- Waiting Patiently, in Peace

“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”  Isaiah 40:31 (English Standard Version)

From my newsletter article (Click to read):  Our theme for Advent will be: Waiting patiently in hope, peace, joy and love.  Each week will focus on one of those four ideas.  We want to honor Advent I think part of how we honor the season is cherishing and embracing waiting.  The Isaiah above is a theme for all who want to move quickly.  ‘Renew your strength:  wait.’ 

This week, we are somehow, waiting patiently … in peace … Last week the invitation was to be alert, be awake, be on watch, here are there God sightings which make us hopeful and if yes, don’t wait to be a messenger for God on this.  Yes, wait patiently, but patiently is not necessarily silently.  Go and tell people the Good News.  Be a messenger.  Be a Malachi.  Be a John the Baptist (ok, maybe not a John the Baptist).  The Lord IS coming.  Go tell someone! 

Advent 1, 2018 -- Waiting Well

Scripture:  Luke 21: 25-36

Big Idea:  Our theme for the day is Waiting Well.  The Reformed theologian Jürgen Moltmann speaks of Advent 1 in terms of a title of a book he wrote: "With Theology of Hope… I tried to present the Christian hope no longer as such an 'opium of the beyond' but rather as the divine power that makes us alive in this world." 

My view is that there is an end time coming, be about our work, and task.  We wait well by being about our tasks, be busy.  The reign/kingdom is near and it helps make us alive in our now. 

November 25, 2018 -- Christ the King!

John 18: 33-37

 

We stand at the end of the church year.  It is New Year’s Eve in New York City and the ball has gone down and we are here to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.  Who is Jesus for us?  Really for us?  What is our no equivocation answer?  He is King? 

 

If not, why not?  I expect while the scriptures are NOT John 3: 15-17, I will get to John 3: 15-17, particularly 17.  We can live according to the cynical values of Pilate or …. the choice is ours. 

November 11, 2018 -- Serving Means Letting Go

Scripture Readings: Luke 15: 11-12 (yes, short). 

 Big idea:  God calls on people to serve.  I am mindful that the son had a different agenda than serving but what I want to focus on is letting go.  The father let go.  In today’s world, we are served by many and parents, grandparents, friends, have to let go. 

 “In the process of letting go, you will lose many things from the past, but you will find yourself.”  Deepak Chopra

 Part of our task is know when to let go, and when to hang on.