Readings: Sirach 27: 30 – 28:7; Psalm 1- 4, 9 -12; Romans 14: 7 – 9; Matthew 18: 21- 35 Preacher: Christine Nowak Kvam Once again, I feel like I am the worst person to be writing this reflection. Around this time last year, I was asked to reflect on the Gospel about renouncing possessions right as I was at the… read more →
Readings: Wisdom 9: 13-18b; Philemon 9-10, 12-17; Luke 14: 25-33 Preacher: Christine Nowak Kvam I do not mean to diminish the honor and privilege it is to be asked to write for God’s Word Many Voices, but when I first read the lectionary texts I would be reflecting on for this Sunday I laughed out loud. And if you had been… read more →
Readings: Genesis 18: 1-10a; Colossians 1: 24-28; Luke10: 38-42 Preacher: Christine Nowak Kvam The weekend my son was baptized we had a house full of guests. That Saturday evening, my mother-in-law and father-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and nephew, and two dear friends from grad school with their 1 1/2-year-old daughter were gathered around our too small dining room table. Within a few… read more →
Readings: Daniel 7: 13-14; Revelation 1: 5-8; John 18: 33B-37Preacher: Christine Nowak Kvam It would seem that a feast like Christ the King must go back many centuries in Church history to an entirely different era. Surprisingly, this feast is less than 100 years old. Rather than being a product of the heyday of monarchies, Christ the King is more… read more →
Readings: Acts 1: 1-11; Ephesians 4: 1-13; Mark 16: 15-20Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Christine Nowak Kvam At the time of his Ascension, Jesus gives his followers an enormously important charge: “You will be my witnesses.” Many of the earliest Apostles took on this responsibility by becoming missionaries (and according to Mark 15:17-18 apparently also invincible,… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 42: 1-4.6-7; Acts 10: 34-38; Mark 1: 7-11Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Christine Nowak Kvam As the Gospel writers tell it, the significance of Jesus’ baptism isn’t really in the ritual of cleansing with water. The real meaning is found in what happens next. In a couple of simple sentences, Mark tells us three… read more →
Readings: Jeremiah 20: 7-9; Romans: 12: 1-2; Matthew 16: 21-27Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Christine Nowak Kvam As we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment this month, local hero Susan B. Anthony got some well-deserved attention. As an advocate, author, and agitator, she did not meet her society’s expectations of womanhood. A quote often… read more →
Readings: Acts 6:1-17; 1 Peter 2:4-9 and or John 14: 1-12Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Christine Nowak Kvam It seems like a safe bet to say that those of us who read the reflections posted here are “Church nerds.” So many of us are probably familiar with the little ache that develops in our hearts on… read more →
Readings: Genesis 18: 20-32; Colossians 2: 12-14; Luke 11: 1-13Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Christine Nowak Kvam A few weeks ago, we bought a new-to-us car. Because my husband has more energy and patience than I do, he was making sure our two-and-a-half-year-old wasn’t using the crayons provided at the children’s table to color the sparkling… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 43:16-21; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8Click here to download a PDF of this homily. Preacher: Christine Kvam Turning on the news often reveals the suffering in our world, and the beginning of this Sunday’s Gospel reading presents us with yet another situation of darkness. Our hearts are moved by the pain of death, loss, and grief. But this Gospel… read more →