11th Hour Preachers Party: unBones, unBinding, unBlinding, unBreathing edition

Wait? Unbreathing?

Sure, maybe....our readings this morning offer us a variety of directions, the new and the familiar, to ponder.

Ezekiel's vision of dry bones coming back to life brings us one of the most powerful images of God restoring new life, of faith, of resurrection.

Psalm 130's lament, crying out for God, echoes the plea that every human utters at some point in life...or as one of my friends is fond of saying, "OH GOD - BE GOD!"

Roman's, the assurance of God coming to us in the Spirit, tending to that which we really need, regardless of what we THINK we need.

John, letting go of all that binds us and keeps us from the love of God...what will it take for us to proclaim God's love for us?

Yes, many directions we can go this week as we ponder the ways we too need to be unboned (or reborn), unbound, given new sight, and discovering new life and breath.

Share with us where you are going. If you are stuck and need help unbinding, we're here to help with that. If your can't see your way from one thought to the next, we're here to help with that too. If you have a great title and pages of notes, but don't know how to pull it all together, we're here to help with that too. Whatever....

and, of course, always lots of sustenance to keep us going. This morning, coffee, tea, cinnamon raisin bagels, yogurt with banana, honey and granola...here, pull up a chair, what can I get you?

Tuesday Lectionary Leanings: "Life and Death" Edition

Sunday's lessons can be found here.

Death. It haunts us -- when we read the news; when we care for aging or ailing loved ones; when we hit a point in life where thoughts of our mortality can keep us awake at night.

Our lessons this Sunday are about death -- but they're also about life; about a God who seems as frustrated and angry at death as we do, who is able to summon new life from that which was dead.

Will you be preaching on our Gospel lesson, where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead? Or on the field of dry bones come alive in our reading from Ezekial? Will you tackle Paul's musings on life in the spirit versus life in the flesh? Are you dedicating this Lazarus Sunday to issues of HIV/AIDS? Or are you going in a different direction in your service and sermon?

We welcome your thoughts here as we all plan, pray and preach our way into Sunday. What's on your mind this week?