Presbymom

  What a year 2020 has been. Know that amid all of the things we would like to forget, there is much to remember. A year that started off with jokes about perfect vision and seeing into the future blindsided us with crises beyond imagining, and God was there.     Who knew we would become unwilling experts in technologies and online video meetings? Yet this seems so small compared to what those who are isolated in nursing homes, or who were already facing health challenges have endured. Amid the panic and pain we couldn’t foresee, God was there.   And then, when things seemed intolerable, the Namaste broke through. God always, always finds a way to break into our lives reminding us of the joy of connectedness with one another and with God – a connectedness that can never be broken that isn’t dependent upon face-to face, physical presence. A presence that supersedes our limitations.   This blessed namaste is us seeing God in and through each other – shining out at us through others’ eyes

The Magi are walking a road They sought advice of experts in a foreign land They travelled the unknown together, following hope Wisemen doing what might not seem so wise They were bold in the face of power asking about a different kind of king They brought the best they had, what they valued  They laid treasures at His feet And their road was changed, their lives were changed forever

  Today’s scripture from Matthew occurs in the final week of Jesus’ life. He is in Jerusalem and has faced rising tension from the Pharisees trying to have him arrested. He spends these final days talking about the kingdom to come. Listen now for God’s word from Matthew 25:14-30 14  “Again, here is what the kingdom of heaven will be like. A man was going on a journey. He sent for his slaves and put them in charge of his money.  15  He gave five bags of gold to one. He gave two bags to another. And he gave one bag to the third. The man gave each slave the amount of money he knew the slave could take care of. Then he went on his journey.  16  The slave who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work. He earned five bags more.  17  The one with the two bags of gold earned two more.  18  But the man who had received one bag went and dug a hole in the ground. He hid his master’s money in it. 19  “After a long time the master of those slaves returned. He wanted to c

  In this reading, Jesus has entered Jerusalem to the cries of Hosannna, cleansed the temple of corrupt money changers, answered challenges to his authority with Jewish religious leaders who were trying to trap him finally calling down woe upon them. Now, we are in the midst of what some call the Fifth Discourse – here Jesus talks about apocalypse – end times, or as worded here, he uses a series of parables to tell us what the Kingdom of Heaven is like?    Read God’s word from Matthew 25:1-13 25  “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like   ten virgins who took their lamps   and went out to meet the bridegroom.   2  Five of them were foolish and five were wise.   3  The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.   4  The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.   5  The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6  “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7  “The

  Matthew 18: 15-20   15  “If your brother or sister   sins,   go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16  But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’  17  If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 18  “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19  “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.  20  For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Because of the People   In a study on racism this week, the unit dealt heavily with how scripture can seem contradictory or be used by two sides of an argument to justify their

I feel like I’m running a race. This is a different race because the course is unknown. When will I encounter the next uphill battle or a surprised blessing of downhill stretch. There are parts of this race where I feel very lonely. As a runner, this is to be avoided at least for me. Much of my motivation comes from partners alongside me, coaches building me up and a bit of competition to push me further. In this unknown course, it is frustrating not knowing if I am doing a short or long distance. I am pretty sure that I have blown past the 5K comfort level into the 10K I was growing into and pushing at a half marathon. I tremble at the thought of an Ultra that goes on more than I can imagine in distance.  How do we plan to run the race at a pace that works for us individually? I normally run with folks who can go much further and faster, but there are people who are simply not accustomed to any type of run at all. AS a society, our preparation level for pandemic is equally