Psalm 23 and John 10: 14 – 16 – Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN – In our scripture passage, Jesus says, “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me.” With so many voices competing for our attention in today’s culture, how can we hear the shepherd’s voice? What needs to be set aside, turned down, put off…

John 20: 19 – 31 – Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN – We hear the grim news: ice caps are melting, sea levels are rising, climate refugees are increasing, coral reefs are dying, crops are failing, and the land is plagued by drought. As a result, we lock ourselves away, with our heads hung low and our hearts broken, believing it is…

John 20: 1 – 18 – Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN – Even in the midst of pain and grief, may we remember that we are an Easter people! The grave cannot defeat us. On this day of Resurrection, may we celebrate the One who turns mourning into dancing, gives beauty for ashes, turns shame into glory, and graves into gardens! Alleluia! Christ is…

Luke: 19: 28 – 40 – Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN – As Jesus enters Jerusalem, the multitude of disciples begins to joyfully shout with praise. The Pharisees try to silence them, but Jesus responds: “I tell you, even if these were silent, the stones would shout out” (Luke 19:40). All of creation cries out with praise—that message rises above the noise,…

John 12: 1 – 8 – Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN – Jesus speaks the words that no one wanted to admit: he was not always going to be around. “Oh, don’t say that,” so many of us have said tot a loved one who speaks the truth about the fragility of life. Perhaps we get uncomfortable because it reveals the precious…

Psalm 121 – Jill A. Kirchner-Rose,  MDIV, DMIN – Life is a series of exclamations form “Oh no!” to “Help!” to “Oh yeah!” As we enter the new year, we had hoped we would be past “Oh no!” Instead, we find ourselves with ongoing prayers for “Help!” The Book of Psalms knows all about this. Psalm 121 , the so-called “Traveler’s Psalm” speaks…

John 2: 1 – 11 – Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN – This Sunday we witness Jesus’s first miracle at a wedding feast as he transforms water into wine. Weddings join more than the people being married. They join families, traditions, and communities. Two become one in many ways.  On this MLK, Jr. weekend, we celebrate what King called “the beloved community.” The…

 Matthew 2: 1 – 23 – Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN – By now Joseph was used to angels. And he needed their timely warnings more than ever. Jesus was barely a toddler and his trouble with the Roman Empire had begun. Jesus, the Savior of Humankind, becomes a refugee – forced from home by oppression and violence. We ask ourselves how…