Posts by tablemanna (Page 25)

If someone were to stop you on the street and ask you to tell them about Grace, what would you say?

As we consider Ephesians 2.19-22 this week ask yourself these questions: When have you tried going it alone in your Christian walk?  How did this impact your faith?  Why might Christians who go it alone be more likely to compromise their faith than those who are together as “members of the household of God” in accountability groups such as our Kitchen Tables?    

“There are mysteries which you can solve by taking thought.  For instance, a murder mystery whose mysteriousness must be dispelled in order for the truth to be known. There are other mysteries which do not conceal a truth to think your way to but whose truth is itself the mystery.  The mystery of your self, for example.  The more you try to fathom it, the more fathomless it is revealed to be.  No matter how much of your self you…

We begin our 5-week series called “from DIY to renovation by Grace” this week.  Throughout the series we’ll explore what it means to recognize, name and claim God’s Grace in our daily life.  Our worship series will be rooted in the Ephesians 2.   Ignatius of Loyola, a sixteenth century priest who lived in Spain and founder of the Jesuits, composed a process of spiritual discernment for Christians who are seeking to find out what God intends for them.  According…

In the beginning was the word, scattered everywhere. Then the word was assembled with experience, colored with the red of blood and the black of eyes, and the word became a sentence and the story took shape. The question posed to the magi was not what gifts do you bring? but good or bad, either way, can you bear the story? It is a question best borne with song. That is why the angels sang, and so must we. from…

The English word “Epiphany” comes from the Greek word epiphaneia which means “appearance” or “manifestation”. On Epiphany we celebrate the moments that God becomes known to us.  Our worship this week will be rooted in Matthew 2.1-12.  This ancient story of the wise ones bringing gifts to the baby Jesus points to God making God’s self known to humankind. What good news have you witnessed over this Advent and Christmas season? Are there some specific attributes of God that you…

Every day for twelve good days embody love in simple ways: share food, write cards, befriend the poor, do someone else’s dirty chore, stand up for justice, sing a song― let all you do for twelve days long be what you give and do and are for Mary’s child beneath the star. Let each day be a Christmas prayer of joy and thanks and loving care, each day, though it be bright or blah, a day of gratitude and awe:…

Christmas isn’t over yet. We have twelve days in which to let the child be born in us anew, to let the holy light shine through, twelve days to love and give our gifts, to say or do some thing that lifts another’s spirits, or their load, or shines a light along their road, twelve days to fight the world’s pull to be asleep and comfortable, but be awake in trust and care because the Holy One is near, twelve…

  Christ is born― the Prince of Peace, reigning in your heart and throughout the universe; the Word made Flesh, Light of Life, shining from deep in your soul. The Beloved will never leave your side, never disdain your place in life, never abandon your darkness or leave you in your suffering. Christ is born, and Love is in the world. Christ is born. The tender child is yours. Gently care for him. Steve Garness-Holmes, 12.25.12

 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb.  —Luke 1.39-41 A holy life, a divine presence grows within you. Blessed are you, and blessed is the fruit of your soul. And blessed is your trust that what in silence and mystery God has spoken to you will be fulfilled.…

There is a place in scripture that says “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1.46)  We should hear this as a put down on Jesus.  Thinking that any significant teacher, preacher, rabbi, could come from such a small village of no acclaim was unthinkable.  It would be like saying “No one expects anything good to come from Needles or Cool!  Get real!”  This is a judgement on a town and her inhabitants.  So, when we pause to consider…