Beatitudes – Mother Nancy's Coffee Thoughts

Salt & Light

Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Our Heart’s Desire

A sermon preached at St. Francis by the Lake, Canyon Lake, Texas.The lectionary readings for the Seventh Sunday after Epiphany are here. Do you remember where we are from last week? In Luke’s telling of the Good News story, Jesus has just called the twelve and his fame was increasing, drawing great crowds wherever heContinue reading “Our Heart’s Desire”

Remembering & Reflecting

A Sunday Reflection for the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany.The Lectionary readings are here. The Gospel reading for today is the writer of Luke’s telling of what is more commonly known by the label we give to the writer of Matthew’s version: the Beatitudes. Luke’s version is shorter, a series of Blessings and Woes aContinue reading “Remembering & Reflecting”

God-Seasoned

Good Tuesday, Y’all! How is your coffee this morning? I keep having to remind myself that it’s summertime and for many, even post-COVID isolating, this means our daily routines change. We don’t have to get the kids ready for school; we are planning vacations; spending the long evenings outside. And perhaps, because of our transitioningContinue reading “God-Seasoned”

Good Company

Most of us who claim to be Christian in the United States do not know what it is to be truly persecuted for believing in God or following Jesus. We may feel as if we’ve been treated unfairly or that others have attempted to silence us in some instances but never have our lives beenContinue reading “Good Company”

A Good Journey

Peace, my friends. For as long as I can remember and long before I discovered I fit in with the Nines on the Enneagram, and even before I had the self-understanding and words to articulate it, I have sought peace. Not just the simple absence of conflict (which I mistakenly have, for much of myContinue reading “A Good Journey”

Onions and Parfaits

In the Good News story as Matthew tells it, we are told of a series of “woes” that parallel the blessings that we’ve been talking about. Jesus is in his final days in Jerusalem. The religious leaders are working hard to trap him so they can have him executed. They ask him questions so theyContinue reading “Onions and Parfaits”

With Care

In his description of the characteristics of Kingdom people that we’ve been looking at over the past few weeks, for me, the most challenging to talk about is mercy. What is mercy? To be merciful implies that we’ve been wronged, or at least we judge that we have been wronged, and we are holding backContinue reading “With Care”

Satisfied

What do you hunger for? What is the one thing/idea/place/person that you just know will satisfy all your desires? Or do you think that complete satisfaction is an impossible goal or ideal? Jesus’ sermon about life in God’s Kingdom here and now tells us that complete satisfaction comes when we hunger and thirst for righteousnessContinue reading “Satisfied”

Invaluable

Good morning! How’s your Tuesday and your coffee? As we continue our conversation on Jesus’ description of living in God’s Kingdom in the here and now, the third descriptive can be difficult for some to consider because most translations of Jesus’ sermon say “Blessed are the meek.” Meek in our modern culture is almost alwaysContinue reading “Invaluable”