Prairie Musings

John Singer Sargent, The Frieze of the Prophets-West Wall Zephaniah, Joel, Obadiah, and Hosea  While Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water’ (John 7:37b-38b).  Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit on them! (Numbers 11:29b) I look around me today, and I see an epidemic of thirst. There is a thirst to escape these times of quarantine and loneliness; a thirst for compassion and for a common understanding of truth and values; a thirst for visionary and compassionate leadership; a thirst for meaningful and fairly-compensated work; a thirst for justice. We are parched and withered, and maybe afraid that this drought leaves us vulnerable to the possibility of some sort of fiery destruction. Today, on the Feast of Pentecost, Jesus off...

In the Epistle this week, we heard: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). The theme of darkness and light, which is most often part of the narratives of Advent and Lent, is still much in my thoughts in these days. At the same time there are so many images and stories of heroism and deep compassion, there seems to be an equal number of incomprehensible images and stories of violence, selfish arrogance, and lack of compassion. Sometimes I feel like my psyche is roiling up and down in an ocean storm, from high to low. One thing in all this stands out for me with simple clarity: we need each other. I cannot care for the sick; I cannot research a vaccine; I cannot stock my grocery shelves; I cannot ranch, transport, and slaughter cattle; I cannot harvest wheat and grind flour. It is clear in this time of isolati...

I  received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me" (1 Corinthians 11:23-24).   “I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,” Paul tells the Corinthians. Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” We typically think of remembering as the mental equivalent of looking at an old photograph—the dusting off of facts and experiences from the past, bringing some encapsulated historical bits out of their filing cabinet or museum case, out of the forgotten archives, into the present for a few brief moments of reflection. But this is not the kind of remembering that Paul is talking about; this is not “biblical” remembering, not “biblical” memory. You all know that well-worn soap opera plot device that uses amnesia —where someone gets hit on the head and can’t remembe...

This is the first Sunday in Lent. Are any of you giving something up for Lent? My wife Lisa frequently gives up cheeseburgers and fries—quite a sacrifice, as those of you who know her understand. Maybe you’re giving up chocolate, or desserts? Or maybe you’re taking something new on, like regular exercise? (Or maybe even something really wild and crazy and out there, like Bible study and prayer?) Whatever discipline you’ve decided on, there is no doubt that you will be facing temptations to break it, and please know that you are all in my prayers for courage and a steadfast heart this Lenten season. Today’s readings are all about temptation. In Genesis we see paradise crumble before our eyes, as the open relationship Adam and Eve have with each other and with God is destroyed by suspicion in God’s good gifts, then accusation. Alienation rules the day as Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit, and then pass the blame to each other and the serpent…We are all the children of Adam and E...

This will be the tenth year I have been providing Ashes-on-the-Go in Elmwood Park near the entrance to UNO. I thought it would be a right and good thing to share my thoughts on this practice with my All Saints Church family. Fr. Keith and Archdeacon Betsy First, a note on what Ashes-on-the-Go is not—it is not an attempt to replace the regular Ash Wednesday liturgy and Eucharist that we have at church. We offer four services throughout the day, 7 AM, 12:10, 5 and 7 PM. Committed church-goers should be attending one of those, worshipping in community and supporting each other. As Scott Gunn, director of Forward Movement , says, Ashes -on-the-Go “is for seekers and, perhaps, wayward Christians. It’s really an invitation…to realize that all that glitters is not our salvation…[It] doesn't short-circuit the practice of committed Christians, but rather expands the circle to include borderline practitioners and seekers.” I can tell you stories of encounters over the years: The fr...

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth…you are the light of the world” (Matt 5:13a, 14a). My son Bobby had a piano competition all day Saturday. It’s a big event, with hundreds of kids from all around the city who take piano lessons. There are eight categories, like identifying chords, site reading, music theory, and performance. The organizers do everything they can to make it a fun event—it’s actually called the “Fun Fair.” It’s a wonderful thing, and I’m very grateful for all of the teachers and parent volunteers who work really hard to make it happen, to make it fun for kids to play and learn about music. This might be one of those “participation award” events, where you get a ribbon just for showing up. The participation award mentality is what Isaiah is scolding Israel about in today’s Old Testament reading. Here’s just a bit of background: The single book of Isaiah in our Bibles, we think, was written by at least three different authors, over the span of 200 or ...

When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see” (John 1:38-39a). Did anybody see a great movie over the holidays? One of our family traditions is to see a lot of movies over Christmas and New Year, and among the ones we saw this year, I can heartily recommend Frozen II and Knives Out . I’ve been telling everyone how good they are. Maybe instead of movies, you like to eat out—did you find any new great restaurants? The winner for us this past month is the Indian place at the new Aksarben food hall…It so much fun, so exciting, to talk to people about these things we’ve discovered that we love and that bring us a few moments of joy. And it’s so easy...so easy to say, “I saw this cool movie,” “I found this fantastic restaurant…” It’s so easy to say, “Come and see!” when we’re passionate about something and have good news to sha...