February '23
February 1
“You are the salt of the earth…”
Matthew 5:13a
On Sunday we hear from the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus declares that you are the salt of the earth. Preachers are quick to point out that Jesus does not encourage us to BECOME salt of the earth.
He announces that it is so.
I have a suspicion that your standing as Salt of the Earth is grounded in the fact that God loves you, and has called you to live in that love always, and to share it with generosity.
This quote form Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber says much the same thing:
And this is it. This is the life we get here on earth.
We get to give away what we receive.
We get to believe in each other.
We get to forgive and be forgiven.
We get to love imperfectly.
And we never know what effect it will have
for years to come.
And all of it…
all of it is completely worth it.”
Nadia Bolz-Weber, Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People, p. 171
Blessings to you, Pastor Phil
February 2
“You are the salt of the earth…”
“You are the light of the world…”
Matthew 5:13a, 14a
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offers a pretty high opinion of you.
Yes, you.
He doesn’t say “Some of you are…” he says that “you are” ...the salt of the earth ...the light of the world.
It is difficult to keep a reflection on these words brief…
I will try.
Think about this as an announcement of the wonder that is you.
Consider it a wonderful enlistment in God’s reign of love in the world.
For, you see. You are - in the opinion of Jesus Christ our Lord - quite an extraordinary gift to the world, formed and created and sent from God’s own love.
Peace, Pastor Phil
February 3
“Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”
Luke 2:29-32 5:13
February 2nd was The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ. I may have previously encountered the fact that that this day is also called Candlemas, but I don’t remember.
Blessings to you today: here is some wisdom from other folks…
An Introduction to yesterday’s feast:
“The Presentation of Our Lord is referred to in some corners of the church as Candlemas because of an ancient tradition of blessing all the candles to be used in the church in the coming year at the mass celebrated on that day. It was a way of underscoring the truth of Simeon’s confession that this baby Jesus was “a light for revelation to the Gentiles” and a light for glory to Israel…”
I liked this refection in yesterday’s devotion from WELCA:
The light is returning! Linda Post Bushkofsky
Daily Grace WELCA Devotion - 2/2/23
In graduate school in Pittsburgh, not far from the Punxsutawney home of the famed groundhog, I acquired a groundhog cookie cutter and began making groundhog cookies every February 2. Sometime later, I dug deeper and found religious connections to Groundhog Day.
February 2 was traditionally called Candlemas Day. Falling midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, Candlemas historically was a day to bring candles to church to be blessed, drawing upon Simeon’s statement that Jesus is a “light to reveal” God to the nations (Luke 2:32). In some traditions, a bonfire was made with Christmas trees, signaling the end of the Christmas season. As a sign of new beginnings, many commit to new goals on Candlemas.
So today you could be wondering how much more winter you will see. You could be focusing on the returning light and blessing some candles. You could be making new commitments. You could be joining in Simeon’s song. As for me, I’ll be baking some groundhog cookies.
This message is excerpted from “What day is it?” by Linda Post Bushkofsky from the February 2, 2010, blog of the Women of the ELCA.
February 4
“You are the salt of the earth…”
“You are the light of the world…”
Matthew 5:13a, 14a
I like this prayer inspired by our Gospel reading for Sunday, from the Sermon on the Mount.
Perfect Light of revelation,
as you shone in the life of Jesus,
whose epiphany we celebrate,
so shine in us and through us,
that we may become beacons of truth and compassion,
enlightening all creation with deeds of justice and mercy. Amen.
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/prayers.php?id=17
Reproduced from Revised Common Lectionary Prayers copyright © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts admin. Augsburg Fortress.
Peace, Pastor Phil
February 5
“You are the salt of the earth…”
“You are the light of the world…”
Matthew 5:13a, 14a
I hope to see you in worship today, 8:30 & 11:00 The service will be posted online.
The Prayer of the Day today, our Gospel reading is Matthew 5:13-20, which is a continuation of our reading from the Sermon on the Mount.
Lord God,
with endless mercy you receive the prayers
of all who call upon you.
By your Spirit
show us the things we ought to do,
and give us the grace and power to do them,
through Jesus Christ,
our Savior
and Lord.
Amen.
February 6
“…so that your faith might rest
not on human wisdom
but on the power of God.”
I Corinthians 2:5
Yesterday we heard from Paul, as he claimed that his rhetoric was not exactly excellent, nor convincing. (Whatever you say, Paul.)
His deeper point is that the encounter with Jesus Christ himself is more important than any compelling argument for faith in him.
Here is where I am inclined to go with this… A few weeks ago we heard from a conversation some disciples had with Jesus. Jesus asked them what they were looking for, and they replied by asking Jesus where he was staying.
Rather than offer a long answer, rather than explain himself in any way, he simply replied: “Come and see.”
They did, and they spent the entire day with him, and then some.
If you were to invite someone to worship with us at Trinity, you wouldn’t have to give a full explanation of your faith, nor give a complete defense of what you believe.
A simple invitation to come and see might well be plenty.
I have a suspicion that more people than we know are just waiting to be invited to come and see, and while we might not be the most impressive gathering of folks you ever saw, we've been called together by the one who bears to the world, the power of God.
I look forward to our next gathering together.
Peace, Pastor Phil
February 7
The next day John [the baptizer] again was standing
with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by,
he exclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God!”
John 1:35-36
This coming Sunday there is a football game being played, and lots of us will be watching… (Our LOGOS Youth will be taking a Super Bowl Offering at worship that morning as well!) Like many others, Laura and I tend to watch during the commercials, and eat and gab during the game.
This year, there will be ads from the “He Gets Us” campaign. This is an evangelistic outreach seeking to “introduce” our neighbors to Jesus Christ.
I read an article that said this is put together by people “who desire to see the Jesus of the Bible represented in today’s culture with the same relevance and impact He had 2000 years ago.”
While the folks who are working on this are from a very different kind of tradition than ours, they are working hard to present Jesus in a way that is open to all traditions.
I like what I’ve seen in their website and I wonder. If you see this ad with someone, and they have some questions about Jesus, what might you say?
Yesterday I mentioned the story from the Gospel of John that we heard a few Sundays ago. Two of John the Baptist’s disciples went to Jesus, who asked them what they were looking for. Their response was; “where are you staying?” Jesus simply replied: “Come and see.”
Jesus offered a simple invitation, and we can do the same. One resource I read suggested a line such as: “Next time you consider a church service, think of Trinity. Our worship services are meaningful to me.”
Everyone we know bears the sorts of burdens you and I do. Everyone we know can have their life enriched by a relationship with Jesus Christ. I pray this He Gets Us campaign is a blessing to many, and I am hoping the Vikings finally win the Super Bowl!
Blessings to you, Pastor Phil
February 8
"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end."
Lamentations 3:21-22
Thinking of the “He Gets Us” campaign, and their hope to introduce people to who Jesus Christ is for the world, I saw a nice, simple description of why we might share our faith with those who do not know about Jesus. :
“I want others to experience the transformative, healing love of the Gospel.”
What a great reason to invite someone to be a part of Trinity!
[Lutheran Disaster Response is a good way to help our neighbors in need, and I know that LDR does great work. You can go to www.ldr.org to give…]
Blessings to you, Pastor Phil
February 9
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?
Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
And even the hairs of your head are all counted.
So do not be afraid;
you are of more value than many sparrows.
Matthew 10:29-31
I saw a deeply moving video from the earthquake ravaged Middle East. Hundreds of people surrounding a house cheered as a family was rescued from the rubble and rushed to a waiting ambulance. As tears came to my eyes, I was reminded of the surpassing worth of each life. These children, and I assume a parent, are truly beloved by God, and as onlookers raised their arms in praise of God, I joined them in giving thanks.
You, too, are God’s deeply beloved child. Our neighbors are as well.
I like the cartoon, a preacher is standing in a pulpit, and he says:
“God loves you, but don’t let it go to your head.”
Ha!
“God loves you, and this remarkable news can shape your entire life! Let it go to your head. Your heart, your hands and to all you do!!!!”
May we share this love with generosity and joy!
Peace, Pastor Phil
February 10
“So when you are offering your gift at the altar,
if you remember that your brother or sister
has something against you,
leave your gift there before the altar and go;
first be reconciled to your brother or sister,
and then come and offer your gift.”
Matthew 5:23-24
In a sermon on Sunday’s text, Rev. Dr. Randy Harris, pastor of Highland Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, offered this insight into the God we know in Jesus:
“Ours is a meddlesome God
who is not content to leave us as we are,
but who is forever at work to draw us together,
and to heal not only the brokenness within us,
but the brokenness between us.”
- Randy Harris - PCUSA
I think this might be the key reason to invite others to be a part of Trinity.
In Jesus, God reaches out to heal you, and to heal us.
May we know this great gift always.
Blessings, Pastor Phil
February 11
“So when you are offering your gift at the altar,
if you remember that your brother or sister
has something against you,
leave your gift there before the altar and go;
first be reconciled to your brother or sister,
and then come and offer your gift.”
Matthew 5:23-24
A prayer based on on Sunday’s text:
As we come to offer our gift at your altar,
make us eager in seeking reconciliation,
so that we may live the Gospel of your kingdom
with single-hearted devotion,
our every thought filled with respect for one another
and our every deed with reverence.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.
From Prayers for Sunday and Seasons, Year A, Peter J. Scagnelli, LTP, 1992.
I hope to see you in worship tomorrow. Pastor Phil
Matthew 5:13
6th Sunday after Epiphany
February 12
I hope to see you in worship today at 8:30 and 11:00
The Prayer of the Day today:
God,
the strength of all who hope in you,
because we are weak mortals
we accomplish nothing good without you.
Help us to see and understand the things we ought to do,
and give us grace and power to do them,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
February 13
“You have heard that it was said…
But I say to you…
Matthew 5:28a, 28a
In our 2nd service yesterday, we sang the hymn; “Oh, That the Lord Would Guide My Ways”. The lyrics are from a Psalm.
I think the opening line also speaks to the life Jesus intends for us in the Sermon on the Mount.
Oh, that the Lord would guide my ways,
to keep his statutes still!
Oh, that my God would grant me grace,
to know and do his will.
“Oh, That the Lord Would Guide My Ways” ELW # 772 Text: Isaac Watts, 1674-1748
Hymns are often wonderful poetry that can inspire faithful reflection. It is interesting to consider that doing what is right, living righteously, might be a gift of grace.
May you know God’s grace, today and always. Pastor Phil
February 14
My beloved speaks and says to me:
“Arise, my love, my fair one,
and come away;
for now the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone.
Song of Solomon 2:10-11
A blessed Valentine’s Day to you!
While Lutherans tend not to make much of saint’s days, I sometimes think we would be wise to remember great Christians of the past a bit more than we do. Among the quotes I have set aside, I have a few from Martin Luther that might be fitting for Valentine’s Day, and
God doesn't need our love,
but our neighbor does.
- Martin Luther
Faith brings you to Christ
and makes him your own with all that he has;
love gives you to your neighbor
with all that you have.
- Martin Luther
Those are typical of Luther’s perspective, that the love we live out as God’s people in Christ, is a love that is directed toward those around us.
One more Valentine’s Day quote you may appreciate, this by essayist Rita Rudner: “I love being married. It’s so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.”
Ha!
Have a great day, Pastor Phil
February 15
“You are the salt of the earth…”
Matthew 5:13
Here’s a fun thing to celebrate. Yesterday was the 29th anniversary of the first time our congregations joined in serving lunch to our neighbors.
Lunch Together is heading into it’s 30th year. Woo hoo!!!
I’m sure it was no accident that they began on Valentine’s Day. Serving these meals has been a labor of love, inspired by God’s love for us - as well as God’s love for those whom we have fed over these years.
I thought I’d share quotes on love from my collection of quotes the rest of this Valentine’s week.
Here’s one that comes to mind given Lunch Together’s anniversary:
“. . . the New Testament
makes it plain
that our first and only task on earth is
to love God and our neighbors as ourselves.
Isn't that more than sufficient work for a lifetime?”
Johann Christoph Arnold
This coming Sunday Owen will be baptized. He will be given the same task that, through the water and the word, God has given to you - to each of us. To spend our lifetimes in this wondrous calling of loving God and our neighbors as ourselves.
My parents used to give me a call on Sunday mornings. Almost ten years ago, I mentioned to my dad that we were going to baptize Corbin Hansen that day.
He responded enthusiastically “Good, we need the help!”
Owen, we’re glad you’re going to join us in our calling of loving God and loving our neighbors, we need the help!
Pastor Phil
February 16
And Jesus was transfigured before them,
and his face shone like the sun,
and his clothes became dazzling white.
Suddenly there appeared to them
Moses and Elijah,
talking with him.
Matthew 17:2-3
In our Matthew class, we talked a little bit about how sometimes, “understanding” is not our goal in our relationship with God. Far from it, in fact. The same may well be true of our most central relationships.
There is a profound line in the closing of Norman Maclean’s short novel; A River Runs Through It. The main character is pondering about how he never was able to understand what had happened to his brother years earlier. He offers this conclusion: “And so it is those we live with and should know who elude us. But we can still love them - we can love completely without complete understanding.”
This coming Sunday we hear the story of Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain. In our day and age - a time that has been described as “disenchanted” - it is quite something to contemplate Jesus, transfigured and shining, conversing with Moses and Elijah.
What do we do with this story? Maybe it is not something for us to “understand.” Maybe it is a story to help us encounter the wonder of the Christ, God’s chosen, sent to make us new.
I could go on and on… in fact, I just set aside a whole paragraph.
All of this is to introduce this line from “The Cloud of Unknowing.” [An anonymous work of Christian mysticism written in Middle English in the latter half of the 14th century, to quote wikipedia.]
"Our intense need to understand
will always be a powerful stumbling block
to our attempts to reach God in simple love
and must always be overcome.
For if you do not overcome this need to understand,
it will undermine your quest."
That is not an anti-intellectual argument for nonsense.
It is a call to intimacy with God.
Blessings to you, Pastor Phil
February 17
I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
Philippians 3:8
One more nice quote this week of Valentine’s Day:
I could more easily contain Niagara Falls in a tea cup
than I can comprehend the wild, uncontainable love of God.
Brennan Manning
Yes, it is deeply true that God’s love is uncontainable. And, perhaps all love is, in one way or another, wild.
It is also, in so many, many ways, incomprehensible.
Martin Luther said a quite similar thing in the Small Catechism:
“I believe that I cannot by my own understanding or effort believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, or come to him.”
(As I write this, the Advent hymn, Unexpected and Mysterious comes to mind.
I shared the words to this hymn last August, and will include them below…)
The uncontainable love of God has been poured out for you, and God intends it to spill over into all the world.
May God guide you always, Pastor Phil
Unexpected and Mysterious
Unexpected and mysterious
is the gentle Word of grace.
Ever-loving and sustaining
is the peace of God’s embrace.
If we falter in our courage
and we doubt what we have known,
God is faithful to console us
as a mother tends her own.
2 In a momentary meeting
of eternity and time.
Mary learned that she would carry
both the mortal and divine.
Then she learned of God’s compassion,
of Elizabeth’s great joy,
And she ran to greet the woman
who would recognize her boy.
3 We are called to ponder myst’ry
and await the coming Christ,
To embody God’s compassion
for each fragile human life.
God is with us in our longing
to bring healing to the earth,
While we watch with joy and wonder
for the promised Savior’s birth
Jeannette Lindholm - ELW #258
February 18
“You are the salt of the earth…”
Matthew 5:13
Tomorrow is the last Sunday of Epiphany, which we mark as Transfiguration Sunday. Here is a prayer grounded in this mysterious and wonderful story.
Holy God, mighty and immortal,
you are beyond our knowing,
yet we see your glory in the face of Jesus Christ,
whose compassion illumines the world.
Transform us into the likeness of the love of Christ,
who renewed our humanity so that we may share in his divinity,
the same Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who live and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Reproduced from Revised Common Lectionary Prayers copyright © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts admin. Augsburg Fortress.
February 19
“You are the salt of the earth…”
Matthew 5:13
The Prayer of the Day:
O God,
in the transfiguration of your Son
you confirmed the mysteries of the faith
by the witness of Moses and Elijah,
and in the voice from the bright cloud
declaring Jesus your beloved Son,
you foreshadowed our adoption as your children.
Make us heirs with Christ of your glory,
and bring us to enjoy its fullness,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen
February 20
As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
Psalm 42:1
For our Midweek Lenten Worship this year, we will be using Holden Evening Prayer for our liturgy, and we will reflect on the Psalms.
I am intrigued by something I read last month that suggests that an important part of the spiritual life is “yearning.”
I am looking forward to our exploration of the Psalms that call us to long for God’s house, for God’s presence, for God’s justice and God’s love.
Peace to you today, pastor Phil
February 21
“But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,
so that your fasting may be seen not by others
but by your Father who is in secret;
and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Matthew 6:17-8
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, beginning our season of Lent, which has traditionally been a time of fasting. The next few paragraphs are adapted from an Ash Wednesday sermon I preached years ago:
In the Ash Wednesday service, there is an “Invitation to Lent”. In that liturgy, we are invited to repentance, to prayer, to sacrificial giving and to works of love.
All of this is inherent in the Christian life, of course. Maybe it too often goes unsaid. Possibly, that is part of what Ash Wednesday is for.
I have been more likely to encourage people to add things (like more regular Bible reading, prayer, worship attendance) than to “give something up” for Lent. However, I recall something I read years ago. Some teacher suggested that no longer following the discipline of giving something up for Lent, might well be a mistake.
All of these disciplines are great, she wrote, but our doing them could fool us into thinking that we are in charge of ourselves. We might imagine we can improve ourselves with a few well intentioned resolutions. In that light, we begin to think there is no real need for God.
The discipline of fasting from something, helps to remind us that we are God’s creatures. This can free us from the sense of ourselves as masters of our universe, rulers of our own lives. In seeking to fast from something, you will find yourself with feelings of emptiness. That sense of emptiness can be a deep reminder. A reminder that what you NEED is not chocolate or a latte whatever. What you need - is God. Fasting reminds us, that the deepest hunger we ever feel is a hunger that only God can satisfy.
Peace, Pastor Phil
Ash Wednesday
February 22
The Prayer of the Day today:
Almighty and ever-living God,
you hate nothing you have made,
and you forgive the sins of all who are penitent.
Create in us new and honest hearts, so that,
truly repenting of our sins,
we may receive from you,
the God of all mercy, full pardon and forgiveness
through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen
Worship today at noon and at 7:00 tonight. The service will be posted online. Be safe, stay warm!
The Ash Wednesday service has this “Invitation to Lent” and I think it makes a good reading for devotions today..
Friends in Christ,
today with the whole church we enter the time of remembering Jesus' passover from death to life, and our life in Christ is renewed.
We begin this holy season by acknowledging our need for repentance and for God's mercy. We are created to experience joy in communion with God, to love one another, and to live in harmony with creation.
But our sinful rebellion separates us from God, our neighbors, and creation, so that we do not enjoy the life our creator intended.
As disciples of Jesus, we are called to a discipline that contends against evil and resists whatever leads us away from love of God and neighbor.
I invite you, therefore, to the discipline of Lent
— self-examination and repentance, prayer and fasting, sacrificial giving and works of love — strengthened by the gifts of word and sacrament.
Let us continue our journey through these forty days to the great Three Days of Jesus' death and resurrection.
February 23
“Remember that you are dust…”
I like this post-communion prayer from worship yesterday:
Merciful God,
accompany our journey through these forty days.
Renew us in the gift of baptism,
that we may provide for those who are poor,
pray for those in need,
fast from self-indulgence,
and above all
that we may find our treasure
in the life of your Son, Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
This seems a good sending into the season of Lent.
Blessings on your journey, Pastor Phil
February 24
After Jesus was baptized, he was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’"
Matthew 4:1-4
No devotion at 6:00?
Must have been too cold, and the e-mail just didn’t want to go out.
(Or maybe I failed to send it! Let's go with the former...)
On the first Sunday in Lent, we hear the story of Jesus, tempted in the wilderness.
One of the things I often wonder about, is that these temptations often don't sound very tempting to me.
I think that there are probably many responses to that. (One being that this is not a very insightful comment, Philip, but I digress.)
Another response is that, in theory perhaps, temptation is easy to resist. In reality, it is quite something else. The moment you decide to give up chocolate for Lent, all you are able to think about, is how nice it will be, on April 9th, to enjoy that chocolate egg.
Have you decided to give something up for Lent? If so, you're in day 3, you know. 37 to go. YIKES!
I like the suggestion that Lent, being 40 days, just over 10% of the year, might be seen as a “tithe” of our year.
We take this time to note how deeply limited we are, and how dependent we are upon God. This, I guess, could be some sort of negative perception of life. Or it could help us to take on a perspective of joyful dependence upon God for all things good.
Peace to you, stay warm! Pastor Phil
February 25
After Jesus was baptized, he was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness…
Matthew 4
A prayer for the First Sunday in Lent:
Jesus
take us to the
desert and stay with us.
Speak to our hearts about all that
matters. Chase away everything that doesn’t.
Caress our hearts so they know you better,
see you more clearly in the suffering
of your children and your planet.
Let us say to all who suffer,
“Your tears are my tears.
Your pain is my
pain.”
Pope Francis, Congo 2/1/23
1st Sunday in Lent
February 26
The Prayer of the Day today:
Lord God, our strength,
the struggle between good and evil
rages within and around us,
and the devil
and all the forces that defy you
tempt us with empty promises.
Keep us steadfast in your word,
and when we fall,
raise us again
and restore us through your Son,
Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
now and forever.
Amen.
February 27
As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
Psalm 42:1
In Wednesday midweek worship on March 1, we will consider the spiritual discipline of Holy Longing.
Psalm 42 begins:
“As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.”
In the Lord’s Prayer we ask for God’s kingdom to come. This might well be named Holy Longing. St. Augustine wrote this well known prayer:
“You have made us for yourself,
and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in thee."
As we look ahead to worship, I invite you to consider a few questions: Which of our longings are authored by the Holy Spirit? Which are rooted somewhere else? How do we nurture healthy spiritual yearning?
Blessings to you, Pastor Phil
February 28
“Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven…”
Matthew 6:9-10
A while ago I set aside a quote from a preacher who pointed to Rebekah Eklund’s book : The Beatitudes Through the Ages… He was taking note that the beatitudes are not commands, but blessings. He quotes her to say The beatitudes “express value judgments, a field of what matters in the heart of God, in the Gospel’s upside-down vision of worth.”
Holy longing is a desire for what matters to God, an effort to join God in the re-ordered values of the Kingdom of God.
We’ll talk about this a bit tomorrow at worship - 7:00 p.m. preceded by Lenten Supper beginning at 6:00.
Peace, Pastor Phil