Isaiah 40:1-11 I recently came upon the testimony of a man named Jim Zenner who is veteran from the war in Iraq. He was writing about something called moral injury. This occurs when a person experiences an internal conflict between his core values and his behavior;...

Jeremiah 33:14-18 Imagine the scene. About five hundred and eighty-eight years before Jesus was born, Israel had been divided into a Northern Kingdom and a Southern Kingdom. Now the Southern Kingdom, Judah, was under attack. The Assyrians were invading from the north;...

Isaiah 5:1-7 and Isaiah 11:1-5 Today the Narrative Lectionary gives us two scriptures from the prophet Isaiah, and thank goodness we get both. Can you imagine if all we got was the first one? It means something that the Song of the Delinquent Vineyard does not get the...

1 Kings 12:1-17, 25-29 When the sharp edges of the horror start to soften, there’s a popular story that kind-hearted people tell about God. You’ve heard this story before. It pretty much goes like this: God is in charge of the universe. God has a desire for how things...

2 Samuel 5:1-5 and 2 Samuel 6:1-5 Today we hear the story of God going into the city of Jerusalem. If you think this was a celebration of glittering praise, you’re absolutely right. The procession of the LORD comes with glad singing and dancing, probably crashing...

Ruth 1:1-18 You might know, there was a time when I lived and worked in a transitional house for women in recovery from addiction and homelessness. If you have ever lived in any kind of dwelling with any other human person, then you understand. Disputes were not...

Deuteronomy 5:1-21 and Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Sometime in the past, you might have shared communion with one of our deacons or parish nurses in your living room. Sometime in the future there might come the day, when one of us will visit you bringing communion right into...

Genesis 32:9-13, 22-30 and Psalm 30 Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes in the morning. This is the promise of the Psalm. And you’ve got love it’s hopefulness, right? You’ve got to love its symmetry. Both parts of the sentence are so well balanced. The...

Genesis 18:1-15 and Genesis 21:1-7 Will you join me in prayer… “God, you love the poor in spirit. God, you comfort those who mourn. Balm for wounds, the friend of sinners, taking the side of earth’s forlorn. Up from the depths you raised your people, giving them...

Leslie Kilgannon, Director of the Scott County Housing Council was our guest speaker. Leslie is the former Executive Director of Quad Cities Interfaith. The Scott County Housing Council is a not for profit local housing trust fund whose mission is to secure funding to...