Jesus isn’t polite in this story—he’s something so much more than that. He’s generous. Jesus made a public display of it, made sure every knew he accepted Zacchaeus, the chief tax-collector, the guy no one accepted….
Because here’s the crazy thing about humility. The people who know the most about it probably never talk about humility. They probably don’t think about it, either. They’re too busy thinking and talking about things outside themselves; they’re too busy being humble.
We’re used to thinking of gratitude as something to do after our problem is solved, but the story of the ten lepers complicates that notion. In the story, gratitude is as much a part of the healing as the curing of the disease….
If you ask me, I think that’s a pretty good statement of what the church ought to be about: we’re to be a sign—big enough that anyone can read it—that God isn’t finished with this world….
How can we live with simplicity, joy, and generosity? This month we’re talking about our relationship to money and how it relates to our calling as people of faith. Join in the conversation….
How can we learn from the poor? What is our responsibility to care for the poor and to advocate for justice on their behalf? These are the sorts of questions we’ll be asking this September and October in our weekly education hour….
The poets are always calling us back to the here and now, and so is our faith. It’s the message of the gospel, really: God shows up in ordinary stuff. In human life; in words and in water; in bread and wine, broken and poured out….
Racing has never been one of my favorite images the Bible offers us for the life of faith. Maybe it’s because I often feel rushed in my daily life, moving so quickly from one thing to the next; maybe it’s because speed has never been what you might call my greatest virtue….
The St. Christopher’s grounds are now home to the Open Hands Food Bank Garden. Members of the church and wider community have planted a garden to grow food for the Thurston County Food Bank….
Where do you listen for God? This question is behind the short stories collected in Listening for God–and the challenge is to pay attention everywhere. The book promises both to be fun summer reading and to spark great conversation….
The Open Hands Food Bank Garden is now up and running, and we’d like to share this exciting project with you! The whole Steamboat Island community is invited to Dessert in the Garden, this coming Sunday.
With churches all over the world, we have just made one of the big turns of the church year: from the Easter season into “Ordinary Time.” It’s a funny phrase, isn’t it? What does that make the other parts of the year? Extraordinary time?
That little difference between “all things work together for good” and “in all things God works for good” actually makes all the difference, between a God who orchestrates every last action and a God who remains beside people and works for good, even in the midst of tragedy that God would never create….
It’s a hard week to come together and proclaim the Easter faith of resurrection and new life. But behind each seemingly tame, casual question, there’s a current of hurt and isolation and hope running deep and wide–maybe even wide enough to touch our lives this week….
The gospels give us a picture of life after Easter as being very ordinary: gathering with others, inviting strangers in for a meal, working in our various vocations. It’s ordinary life, and yet it’s shot through with the extraordinary promise that the risen Christ is there…
And that’s how it is with Jesus. The actions give him away. We recognize Christ’s presence where Christ is acting through others, doing the things Christ did: blessing bread, breaking it, and giving it for all….
Want to do something about hunger in our community and around the world? Come on out and walk with St. Christopher’s! This year’s Thurston County CROP Walk is Sunday, May 5th….
Why do we gather for worship each week? How does our worship shape the way we live and respond to the world? And where is God in all of this, anyway? If you’ve ever asked questions like these, I hope you’ll join us for our education hour this Easter season….
The trumpets can be misleading–because ultimately the Easter news is not the bold brass of certainty but the mysterious wind of faith. Do you find it hard to believe the news of the empty tomb? You’re in good company….
Okay, so pastors are supposed to get excited about worship services–I know that. But really, the Easter Vigil is worth getting excited about. It’s an ancient service of worship that Christians have used for centuries and centuries: the light of Christ shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.