Category: Pain and Suffering
-
Look at Your Hands
We live our lives through our hands. We work with our hands. We prepare food with our hands. We do chores with our hands. We play with our hands. We write or type with our hands. We carry stuff with our hands. We can touch lovingly with our hands, or…
-
Ashes, Water, and the Sign of the Cross
Ashes remind us of our mortality and dependence on God for life. The waters of baptism remind us of new birth, new life, and the promise of resurrection. The symbol of the cross reminds us that God entered our fragility, in Jesus, even unto death, and overcame it.
-
Advent 2020: Who or what are we waiting for?
The word “advent” literally means “arrival.” Thus, the Advent season is about the coming of the Christ Child, and the less emphasized subject of his eventual return in glory. Advent is a time for planning, preparing, and anticipating a particularly important arrival. It is a season of looking and longing…
-
Pandemic-Induced Ministry Fatigue
What’s going on? Why am I, and other pastors, struggling to find our footing in the midst of this strange season?
-
“Joseph” – a sermon preached on September 13, 2020, at The First United Methodist Church of Orlando.
Hatred, jealousy, and family dysfunction led to Joseph becoming a slave. But, God was working too. Because God was with Joseph, even in slavery, even in Egypt, God used Joseph to save nations, including Israel.
-
It is what it is: complaining, coping, or becoming through hardship
I don’t believe God caused Covid-19, so I also can’t say “God has a purpose for Covid-19.” But, I DO believe God will uniquely work in EVERY situation if God finds willing and able partners in us. If we’re willing to patiently endure this difficult season, submitting it to God,…
-
Discovering and Overcoming Unconscious Bias
Though I’ve never been overtly racist (to the best of my knowledge), I’m ashamed to say it’s taken most of my life to overcome conscious and unconscious biases, stereotypes, prejudices, and even fears.
-
When anger reaches the boiling point.
As Christians, our job is not to sit back, judge “those people,” and offer commentary on the world’s ills, many of which are currently on graphic display. Our job is to BE the Church: to roll up our sleeves, to serve, to speak, to sacrifice, to activate, to do whatever…
-
A Prayer for Pentecost 2020
On this day, we celebrate your Holy Spirit, poured out upon all flesh: reminding us of your individual love and care for every single person; each made, uniquely, in your own image and likeness.
vancerains.com 