Let’s admit it: Palm Sunday is a problem. I know I shouldn’t be questioning a moment in the church calendar that goes all the way back to the third or fourth century, but why do I always vaguely dread this day?
Debra RienstraMarch 23, 2013
The Transfiguration story speaks to that part of us that longs for the mountain-top experience—for the epiphanic moment when, even for an instant, we perceive through the veil of clay to the numinous glory beyond. If only we could find a thin place, maybe we…
Debra RienstraFebruary 9, 2013
As I listened last night, I thought back over the week and reflected gratefully on the ordinary saints among whom I live. These are the saints who feel as if they are still feebly struggling, as if the darkness is still pretty drear. And yet,…
Debra RienstraNovember 3, 2012
Maybe we are kidding ourselves. That outburst of Spirit-energy we managed to whump up on Pentecost is tough to maintain, especially for your average, mild-mannered Reformed congregation. Maybe we should admit that what we’re really facing starting the Monday after Pentecost is ordinary time, the…
Debra RienstraJune 30, 2012
ln the section on the Holy Spirit, we profess our faith in “the resurrection of the body.” Familiar, precious words. A couple weeks ago it occurred to me, though: do we believe in the resurrection of the mind?
Debra RienstraMay 5, 2012
But then what? In most of our worship contexts today, the church gives us nothing particular to do until Sunday morning, when it’s all trumpets and lilies and pastel Easter frocks. Between Friday at 3 and Sunday at 10 (or 7 if you’re unlucky enough…
Debra RienstraApril 7, 2012
So I wonder if this show is helping us discover what we value after all: modesty, decency, responsibility, honor.
Debra RienstraFebruary 25, 2012
If you really want to make an impression in the neighborhood, put some sizzle in your stable scene with these inflatable Reformers: Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and Knox.
Debra RienstraDecember 17, 2011
People organize their life stories around significant football games. They make holy pilgrimages. They engage in ritual grilling and boozing and cheering. They seek the high mystical ecstasies of winning the big game. They don sacred vestments and practice hatred toward the worshipers of rival…
Debra RienstraDecember 3, 2011
