When Jesus tells us to enter through the narrow gate, one of the things he's talking about is the real work of reconciliation. When tastes change and things we used…
In the prayer Jesus teaches us, we ask that God provide "our daily bread." What is that? How can we know? When we are giving to others, it makes us…
Sometimes, in the pressure to be entrepreneurial of today's world, we miss our opportunities to shine by mastering the work in front of us, working with and serving others whatever…
Jesus's Baptism by John reminds us of the sign of hope Noah received after the flood, and prepares us for Jesus's servant leadership at the time of death. But it…
Epiphany is all about recognition. Recognition that Jesus means something important for the whole world. For the folks in the East, for the folks in Judea, and for us. Wherever…
The lineages of Jesus we get in Matthew and Luke go toward understanding who Matthew and Luke thought Jesus was, and what was important about Jesus. Since then, people have…
The history of the nativity is long, and the questions about its meaning began with the two versions of the story we get in Matthew and Luke (today and tomorrow).…
Esther and Mordecai remind us that sometimes we have power and are afraid to admit it. Using that power comes with risks, but it also might lead to hope and…
Habakkuk preaches into a world in which defeat is certain. When all is hopeless, and suffering is guaranteed, we must embrace the God who suffers with us and connects us…
On All Saints' Day, we look to the story of Naaman to remember that God is the God of all people. We remember that unexpected servants and saints reveal themselves…
Solomon and a worried mother show us what it looks like to create multiple winners from one encounter. It's easy to view the world as zero-sum, but the promise of…
One of the things that keeps us from being generous with our money is our sense that if only we act well, we won't die. Jesus reminds us that we…
How do we rotate our views so that we do not elevate people with wealth, especially inherited wealth? How do we transform our community into something we would joyfully give…
We practice an open table in Ankeny UCC, meaning, all are welcome to take communion. Why do we do that, when Paul seems to argue that we need to have…
Ruth 4 gets into the weeds of redemption and marriage in ancient Israel. But there's a message for us: Boaz sees hope in the future, rather than in the past.…
Sometimes we miss the true, messy meaning of phrases because of code words. In Ruth, we encounter any number of double-entendres that can inspire a variety of readings. But the…
The Bible lifts up the story of refugees, of immigrants, of foreigners who reveal God to us. The story of Ruth and Naomi gets at the question of care. Who…
Paul shows us the service that Christ gave us, by emptying himself of the powers and pretensions of God to live with us and lead by serving us. We have…
