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Sabbath Devotional :: Musical Sighs, the Mercy of God, and Collective Redemption
Note: I gave this as a talk on Easter Sunday, but as I was working on it, I was also thinking about my MWEG sisters, so it was written for you as well. I made a few minor adjustments to turn it into a devotional, but it is mostly as I gave it two weeks ago in Omaha, Nebraska. Almost 300 years ago, on Good Friday 1727, in the town of Leipzig, Germany, there was a premiere performance of one of the greatest pieces of music ever written: “The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the Evangelist Matthew.” The composer was Johann Sebastian Bach, a man whom we revere…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Creation, Destruction, and Redemption
I was still reeling and in deep despair over the loss of a dear friend who had just been killed in a tragic car accident when I saw the news that Notre-Dame Cathedral was burning. The thought of more than 850 years of history, all of the meticulous efforts of thousands of unnamed builders and artisans, not to mention the 300+ years it took to grow the trees used as lumber for the original construction, all going up in flames sort of broke something in me. For a few weeks now, I have felt absolutely undone over the fundamental unfairness that it is so terribly, exhaustingly difficult to create and…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Betrayal and the Promise of Redemption
When I saw a recent NY Times article I had to double check that it wasn’t a satirical piece. Even two short years ago these words would have seemed like Saturday Night Live sketch comedy. Donald Trump giving Sarah Palin, Kid Rock and Ted Nugent a tour of our beloved White House, pausing long enough to mock a painting of former First Lady, Hillary Clinton? No. Not possible. Outlandish, fantasy! Yet, sadly, this is not some unimaginable alternative reality. it’s not an article written for the Onion or upcoming SNL fodder. And although it is indeed outrageous (and for many of us unbelievable), it is very much real. As I…
