John 21:1-19 Common English Bible (CEB)
1 Later, Jesus himself appeared again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. This is how it happened: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two other disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter told them, “I’m…
Holy Week was incredible! On Maundy Thursday, eight of our children received their First Communion. The joy and excitement they shared was infectious. And then the next day, on Good Friday, we gathered to hear our choir share the Passion story in song and we partook in the glorification of the cross and we prayed together. It was truly a Spirit-led evening, to say the least. And then, of course,…
Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter services are holy and foundational to our faith. But one thing I love about celebrating Good Friday, in particular, is that it naturally leaves space for grief. The songs and scripture reflect grieving and lamenting. Too often, church services or conversations in faith communities do not give enough time for expressions of pain, loss, and grief. We want…
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The great dichotomy Sunday is upon us: where we begin with Hosannas and celebration, and quickly move to the story of Christ’s passion and betrayal. Holy Week continues as we show Christ’s love by serving each other on Maundy Thursday, and contemplate His sacrifice with beautiful music in the Good Friday Tenebrae service.
I love the word dichotomy: it is a contrast between two things,…
One of my favorite things I do each spring is meet with our second-graders and teach them about Holy Communion. This year, we have nine students and their parents attending the three-evening First Communion classes, where they are learning about this incredible gift God gives us. Then, on Maundy Thursday, they will receive their First Communion.
This week we learned about forgiveness…
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I was recently surprised to hear our scripture for this week, the beloved story of the prodigal son, described instead as the story of the forgiving father. How would you describe it? The story of the spoiled kid who wasted his inheritance? His father who continued to spoil him when he returned? His loyal brother who was taken for granted? We tend to err on the side of judgment: how we feel…
The Nelson Dixons are excited to introduce you to Gilbert Dixon! He was born on March 8, 2019. He weighed 8 lb. 6 oz. and was 21 inches long.
The Nelson Dixon fam is doing well and settling into the new normal. Gilbert’s older sisters…
Well, we began the season of Lent last week with the celebration of Ash Wednesday, and now we are on our 40-day journey to the cross. Lent is that season in the church year when we talk about repentance a lot. For many of us, when we hear this word, we think of confessing our sins, those things we have done that are against the ways of God. Lent is not only remembering our sins; it is, perhaps,…
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Snow days used to be something my little family loved: kids put their pjs on backwards with a spoon under their pillow, did a snow dance, and said, “I hope you don’t wake me in the morning, giggle!!”. In the morning they woke up at the same time, of course, and were thrilled to go sledding and drink hot chocolate all day. We have lost count of how many snow days off of school we’ve…
If you haven’t heard about the recent United Methodist Church meeting and decision, here’s some info: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/us/united-methodists-vote.html.
Many I know who are part of the UMC are reeling based on the decisions made by their denomination. Most Methodists I’ve…