Browsing Articles

In This We Boast: In Christ We Hope

Holy Trinity Sunday, Year C, May 22, 2016
Dear friends, when the world is too much with you, and when everything that makes sense seems to fall apart, remember the triune God who will not disappoint. Choose to enter the holy dance of Trinity. Refuse to to be pulled at odds with God, creation, and one another and be made whole. (Photo: Thomas Hawk, Creative Commons)

Abiding with the Advocate

Day of Pentecost, Year C, May 15, 2016
We may not have visible tongues of fire hover over our heads, we may not experience a wild and woolly Pentecost, but as the church of Christ in this time and in a particular place, we will have occasion to experience renewal and rebirth. (Photo: Pedro, Creative Commons)

The Tough Work of Unity and Grace

Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year C, May 8, 2016
The work of unity and grace is tough, sometimes dirty, often heartbreaking, and rarely predictable. The constant is God’s love in Jesus Christ poured out for us on the night he was handed over and always at his table of broken bits of bread and small sips of wine, in body and blood and water and recognition in one another of his real presence among us. (Photo: kiler129, Creative Commons)

Carpe Tithing: Invigorate Your Life of Faith

The tithe as a spiritual discipline is vastly underappreciated by modern Christians. I believe that if we boldly reintroduce the challenge to tithe, personally embrace the conviction of its worth, and then do it, we will provide abundant resources for God’s work in the world as well as invigorate our experience of life in Christ.

The Trouble with Visions

Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year C, April 24, 2016
Christian activist Shane Claiborne says “The more I get to know Jesus, the more trouble he seems to get me into.” Yes, that’s the trouble with visions. They can lead to some truly unexpected results in strange ways by unexpected paths trodden. And that’s o.k. (Photo: Robert Crouse-Baker, Creative Commons)

Eco-Reformation

“Eco-Reformation” is the term embraced by Lutheran theologians who foreground the crisis facing God’s creation and suggest that 2017’s 500th anniversary of the Reformation be a time when Christians across the globe take up the cause of saving God’s creation from destruction by climate change, pollution and unsustainable consumption of resources. This entire issue of Currents explores the issue of Eco-Reformation and calls God’s people to action, (Photo: U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

The Joy of ‘New’

Lectionary Reflection for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C, April 24, 2016
Tired of the same old thing? Not to worry; this is the day to bring on that which is new! After all, everyone can benefit from a little something new, a fresh dose of hope, and a fresh perspective on our ordinary, workaday lives. This Sunday to celebrate the joy of “new.” You have options! (Photo: Pilottage, Creative Commons)

13 Reasons your Church Needs a Planned Giving Strategy

Planned giving plants seeds that will yield a bigger harvest. A planned giving strategy is a wise investment in your congregation’s ministry, mission, and future.Share this article with congregational leaders to start the conversation about why this needs to be an integral part of your stewardship ministry. (Photo: Ken Mayer, Creative Commons)

The Voice

Lectionary Reflection for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year C, April 17
In following Jesus, we are trained and equipped by the Holy Spirit in the beloved community to use our hands to do God’s work and our voices to proclaim the Good News of the Shepherd King whose song is truly unending. (Photo: Alan Levine, Creative Commons)

The Wi$dom Path: Money, Spirit & Life

Financial literacy courses are great, but in addition to knowing how to manage their money more wisely, God’s people need ways to talk about money and the way it intersects with our spiritual and ethical values. This comprehensive course covers such topics as personal and cultural money stories, economic justice, classism, and the impact of our financial decision making on our ability to live lives of meaning and purpose. Free for downloading.