Blog - Grace

A Reflection on James 2:1-17, 2nd Reading in the Revised Common Lectionary for the 16th Sunday after Pentecost, Sept. 9, 2018.

The last few weeks have been on the whirlwindy side: A long van trip up to and back down from Alberta, Canada for several presentations there, and all of two days here at home before we schlepped on another long van trip down to and back up from Houston, Texas, where I presented to a gathering there too.

Here’s the two-fold gist of this Ash Wednesday/Gearing-Up-For-Lent blog:

Both before and after Charlottesville, I’ve been seeing all sorts of calls to respond to palpable hate with love.

“Those in whom the Spirit comes to live are God’s new Temple. They are, individually and corporately, places where heaven and earth meet.”

For what may or may not be the umpteenth time, E and I were belting out Hamilton on our way to her confirmation class this morning.

Take in this poem by Maria Melendez Kelson.

This past week, I celebrated my birthday.

We don’t have many Dust Bunnies at our home.

So, Donald Trump will be inaugurated on Friday as our next president.

My two children, my father, and I, we really lived it up for our New Year’s Eve last night, I tell you what.

I have a new Jøtul F 118 Black Bear Stove.

The late Joseph Sittler, Lutheran theologian and wordsmith, savored life.

This morning, I found myself trolling some earlier blogs I wrote about Advent and Christmas, trying to remember what thoughts I have had about them in the past (I have lots of thoughts, but can hold on to only one or two at a time).

I know Christmas is around the corner (even my family is starting to bust out the Christmas decorations), but Advent does yet have dibs on our attention for a short spell.

Last week, I got this query:
Hello Anna,

I just finished reading a review of Barbara Ehrenreich’s book Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking has Undermined America. You can find the link here. If you’re wondering why you’ve heard of Barbara Ehrenreich before, your memory is tingling because she wrote the notable book Nickle and Dimed.

I try to believe that grace is a fundamental teaching of the Lutheran faith. I have trouble with that at times. Any ideas?

One of my favorite etymologies concerns the word “compassion,” a word that I hope you will agree is remarkably suitable for a Valentine’s Day reflection!