John 15:1-5 In the southwestern United States, there is a tree that grows where almost nothing else can: the Cottonwood. It is considered a sacred tree by Arapaho and Cheyenne peoples, in part because of its branches. If you cut a branch, you will see the shape of a star in its center. There is […]
Faith Like a Fungus
Deuteronomy 10:17-19; Ephesians 3:14-21 A few Sundays ago, in my meditation, I talked about Quaking Aspen trees– how their leaves quake in response to the slightest breeze, how they are connected through their roots. I mentioned the Pando grove in Utah, where 40,000 trees all share one root system. At the time, it seemed an […]
Important Changes in Worship
Dear Friends, What a week this has been! Every day, we have heard more news about the spread of COVID-19, and more advice about how to prevent getting sick and spreading germs to others. We have been advised to practice “social distancing.” In a community of people who care about one another and rejoice in […]
Important Changes in Worship
Dear Friends, What a week this has been! Every day, we have heard more news about the spread of COVID-19, and more advice about how to prevent getting sick and spreading germs to others. We have been advised to practice “social distancing.” In a community of people who care about one another and rejoice in […]
Forty Thousand Quaking Aspen
Jeremiah 17:17-18; Romans 12:9-18 “Look!” Fran pointed to a hillside full of trees–tall slender white-barked trunks, green-yellow leaves that seemed, from a distance, to be constantly changing color. “They’re Aspen trees,” she explained. “They’re called Quaking Aspen. See how the leaves move in the wind?” I squinted my eyes and looked more closely. That’s why […]
Ash Wednesday
A Lenten Devotion by Rev. Debbie Clark Do not fear, O soil; be glad and rejoice, for God has done great things! Do not fear, you animals of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and vine give their full yield. Joel 2:21-22 Every time I […]
Shining
Matthew 17:1-21 It was still dark as we climbed the stairs onto the flat rooftop. We laid out our mats and stood still as statues, facing east. Slowly, we raised our arms to the heavens. Even more slowly we lowered them in an arc, bending down to touch the concrete roof. We continued with the […]
Redefining Perfection
Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Matthew 5:21-26, 43-48 I have this image in my mind of the Sermon on the Mount; I don’t know where it comes from. Gentle Jesus is sitting cross-legged on top of a hill. His followers are seated around him—crowds that extend all the way down the hill. Jesus has a tender, compassionate look […]
Lenten Devotionals 2020
A Grove of Trees Again, this year, Edwards Church will create our own Lenten Devotional, with a reflection available each day during Lent (via email, paper, Facebook, and on the website). We need your creativity to make this happen! Your reflections could be in the form of a prayer, a poem, a paragraph, a photograph, […]
Absorb, Reflect, Refract
Isaiah 58:1-12; Matthew 5:13-16 “I am profoundly religious. My faith is at the heart of who I am.” On Wednesday, Senator Mitt Romney of Utah introduced his explanation of his impeachment trial vote with these words about his faith. He went on to say that he takes an oath made before God to be “enormously […]