To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Every day during this season of Lent we’re looking at one of the “3:16” verses of the Bible, spotlighting some of the significant theological statements that happen to fall on the 16th verse of the third chapter of a number of Old and New Testament books. Genesis 3:16 “To the woman… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. If you’ve been a Morning Reflections reader for a few years, you know that on Ash Wednesday we typically use a Q&A format to address some of the questions associated with this first day of Lent. What’s different this year? Check out the section that deals with the special topic we’ll be… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Shrove Tuesday is the holy day that got away. During the Middle Ages, it was a solemn day of preparation. On the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday – the traditional beginning of the season of Lent – churchgoers would shrive. That means they would confess their sins to a priest, readying themselves for the… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. The first-ever presidential inauguration took place on April 30, 1789, in New York City. On that date, Washington D.C. – the nation’s capital that would ultimately be named for the first president – was still swampland by the Potomac. Every detail of this special event was meticulously planned. Except for one. Nobody had remembered… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. When you think of an archeologist painstakingly excavating an ancient site, what kinds of objects do you picture coming into view? Coins, pottery, inscriptions, and shards of bone are valued finds. But one of the objects that frequently ends up in an archeologist’s bag is what you see above: a tear bottle. At least… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. There’s often a big difference between what other people say and what we hear. Not to mention the difference between what we think we hear and what we actually understand. Author and pastor Brian J. Dodd remembers the time a British church leader was asked to preach in the United States. He had a… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. The memory of a visit to a rocky English shoreline inspired one of the 19th century’s most famous poems. In Dover Beach, published in 1867, the British poet Matthew Arnold declares that belief in God is slowly but surely fading away. The old assurances about divine care in this world and blissful life… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Every year on Valentine’s Day, the age-old question seems to feel a bit more urgent: Does anybody out there really love me? According to Nancy Jo Sales’ harrowing book, American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers, an overwhelming majority of young females in our country are looking to… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. The Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote, “Beauty will save the world.” He seems to have meant that when people struggle to find common ground – when reason and logic fail to unite people who can’t stand the sight of each other – there’s always a chance that beautiful things will build bridges… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Almost a century after George Washington became the first president of the United States, a monument in his memory rose in the nation’s capital. Now, more than a century later, the Washington Monument (at almost 555 feet) remains the tallest free-standing stone structure in the world. The Monument’s designers wanted to honor Washington in… Read more »