REFLECTIONS
We found 87 additional articles filed under reflections. They're listed below, most recent first.
- Easter Reflection
03/29/2013 -- How appropriate that one of the lectionary readings for today is Acts 10—Peter in the house of Cornelius. This event is not a retelling of the Easter story itself. - “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?”
03/14/2013 -- Psalm 22 is a lament. Jesus, in his excruciating pain on the cross, uses the opening verse of this psalm of lament. This cry of Jesus, captured for us by the Gospel writers in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34, is one of deep despair and abandonment. - Christ-Bearing People Pressing On Toward the Goal
02/26/2013 -- A little over a year ago, the Dallas Bethlehem Center came to a crossroads in its ability to deliver educational and social services to its constituent community. The center experienced a significant lack of financial support, caused, in part, by the down... - Bearers of the Message of Reconciliation and New Creation
02/25/2013 -- Today is a new day, and we’re trusted to be bearers of this message of reconciliation and hope for all humanity. - We Are Travelers
02/25/2013 -- It is our job to teach the world that we are all guests, travelers, sojourners, and migrants. We humbly rely on the grace of the owner of the land, God, while we travel or sojourn. - Bearing Witness: Being People of One God in Christ Above All Idols
02/09/2013 -- Witness bearing! A term of great significance to the Christian Church, it conjures up many images when we think of the toll that bearing witness for Christ has taken upon Christians throughout the ages. - Revisiting the Rev. King’s Call to Action in His “Beyond Vietnam” Speech
01/15/2013 -- Reflecting on passages from his “Beyond Vietnam” speech reveals Dr. King’s words as enduringly prophetic and persistent. - Mary's Song
12/17/2012 -- Mary’s song is an indigenous honor song. She was a young tribal woman who held within her body the promise of new hope and kept within her heart a deep gratitude for God’s sustaining vision of possibility – the possibility of shalom. - Reflection on Hate Speech and the Response of United Methodist Women
10/24/2012 -- The founding director of the Women’s Interfaith Institute calls leaders to support the peace initiatives spurred by the #mysubwayad campaign. - Not Yet Arrived: A Reflection on the Oak Creek Shooting
08/16/2012 -- Each violent occurrence has its own particularity. The recent incidence at the Sikh temple at Oak Creek violence has religious, ethnic and economic dimensions. - Resurrection Hope: Still Possible Today
04/08/2012 -- The story of Holy Week is a mix of conversations between the closest of companions and the “wide angle” pageantry of festival season in Jerusalem. What do we make of the story’s ending? - Standing by God in a Time of Sorrow
04/06/2012 -- As we continue our journey this Lenten season from the cross of sacrifice and sorrow to the gift of resurrection and salvation, let us not lose hope. - They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love
04/05/2012 -- We are to love others based on Jesus’ sacrificial love for us. Such love will not only bring unbelievers to Christ; it will also keep believers strong and united. - Draw Closer to God
04/01/2012 -- My wish for you and me this Palm Sunday is that we draw closer to God because God’s love and grace is sufficient for all of us to share. - Give Yourself Away
03/25/2012 -- Are we truly followers of the Christ or are we simply admirers of Jesus? - Ramon
03/18/2012 -- Ramon has been in and out of prison for most of his life, mostly for drug-related offenses, both using and selling. He is HIV positive, has mental health issues and has burned most of his bridges with friends or family. - It’s Time to Overturn the Tables
03/11/2012 -- In a Sunday school class I was in years ago we were asked, “Is anger a sin?” The incident described in John 2:13-22, in which Jesus turns over the tables of the moneychangers and those selling goods in the temple, is one of the most often cited examples o... - Observations around International Women’s Day 2012
03/08/2012 -- On March 8, 2012, International Women’s Day and Purim occurred in the middle of a firestorm ignited by the names a talk show pundit used to characterize Sandra Fluke, a 30 year old (Methodist) law student at Georgetown University who testified in support ... - Getting Our Act Together
03/04/2012 -- Each spring at Alaska Children’s Services a wonderful community event happens. It’s our Spring Banquet and Talent Show. The name of the event is “Get Your Act Together!” It’s a very tongue-in-cheek title that slips by many. - Can a Rainbow Come in the Clouds Without an Ark First?
02/26/2012 -- The last time I saw a bow in the clouds, colorful like a rainbow, was this past January. I was in São Paulo, Brazil, and a summer shower came over us in the streets. Then came the sun. Behind the buildings, there it was: a rainbow. - Coming to Terms With God
02/16/2012 -- Time and change are each the other’s measure. A life span may be two millennia for a sequoia tree or a day for a mayfly. But it is still one life. - Eyes to the Vista
12/07/2011 -- Every day, there are those that set out in migration in every corner of our world. They seek a vista of justice, security and sustainability. - Thoughts on Migrants and Life
11/30/2011 -- This Advent season as we wait with anticipation to see the Christ child, may we celebrate our migrant status by sharing our lives. - The Price of Motherhood
11/27/2011 -- As we think about the anticipation of motherhood for Mary during Advent, we also think of migrant women who face motherhood under very, very difficult circumstances. - Being in Struggle to be Human in Daily Life: A Reflection on 9/11
09/01/2011 -- Someone once said that we are what we remember. Our memories of 9/11 testify to the influence of those who lost their life and those who survived the calamitous disaster on our personal and national life. - Wage Peace for Mother’s Day
05/06/2011 -- President Barack Obama’s announcement on Sunday that a U.S. Navy Seal team had killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan begs the question: Could this be a time for all persons of goodwill to undertake the hard work of waging peace? - Meet Me At the Tomb: An Easter Meditation
04/24/2011 -- For Christians, while the tomb may be a place of sadness, it is also a reminder of God’s amazing love for us. - A Community of Women
04/23/2011 -- It is on this day, this Saturday between Good Friday and Easter, that I truly understand the significance of United Methodist Women and what this bond of community means in my life. - The Gift of Good Friday
04/22/2011 -- Isaiah foretold of God's plan to fix it all. God would have to take on our iniquity. To do so, God had to become a human being who could experience physical death. - Let Us Serve One Another
04/21/2011 -- We have been empowered by the Holy Spirit, just like the disciples, to go out and serve and love others. - A Last Meal
04/20/2011 -- When reflecting on the Last Supper and what's occurring in the world today, how many of our sisters and brothers are having their last meal due to the economy, poverty or unforeseen circumstances like natural disasters? - The Joy That Comes in the Morning
04/19/2011 -- Jesus predicted his death and tells the crowd, "While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light." - Carrying Light and Love: The Beginning of Passover
04/18/2011 -- Like Jesus, owned by God and filled with a gentle encouraging spirit, we declare truth and justice to the world. - The Freedom of Humbleness
04/17/2011 -- Jesus came to Jerusalem some 2000 years ago, humble, and mounted on a donkey, with a colt, the foal of a donkey (beast of burden). Luke tells us Jesus wept "as he came near and saw the city" because they "did not recognize the time of [their] visitation f... - Predictions
04/16/2011 -- Just as Jesus was focused on people, United Methodist Women members are focused on women, children and youth. - Let Us Pray
04/15/2011 -- We live in a world where things can be shaken. - Tending the Sheep
04/14/2011 -- During this Lenten season, let us reflect on our responsibility as United Methodist Women. We have been called by God to tend his sheep. - It’s Not Too Late to Save Creation
04/13/2011 -- Jeremiah teaches us that if we do what God calls us to do, through our modern-day environmental prophets, that we can trust God to do all that God can. - Be the Breath of God
04/12/2011 -- All Christians are called to bring new life into God's world by being channels for the breath of God. - Bring Life to the Dead
04/11/2011 -- We have the opportunity to touch spiritually dead people with the saving grace of the Gospel of Christ. - God's Glory Shines Through You
04/10/2011 -- When we have those moments of "little faith" it is important to reflect and do some soul searching to find out why we are where we are in life. - Helping Fulfill God's Promise
04/09/2011 -- When I look at this community and the people who live here I am reminded of Ezekiel 36:8-16 when God promises the mountains that they will no longer be allowed to kill God's people. - Be Fierce and Unrelenting in Your Pursuit of Righteousness
04/08/2011 -- Ezekiel calls us not to be more fierce in our judgment of others but to be fierce and unrelenting in our pursuit of righteousness. - Then End of One Journey Is the Beginning of Another
04/07/2011 -- The scripture readings for this day include both interesting and disturbing images, especially to Westerners, of literally eating the scripture, which is both sweet and sour. It conveys the idea that when we digest God's word we experience both comfort... - As Our Bodies, So Our Spirits
04/06/2011 -- In this season of Lent, it is a time of reflection and review of our journey of faith. What emotional and spiritual blindness has come to your life? - Take Your Blinders Off!
04/05/2011 -- It was not until God opened my eyes to observe the world around me and opened my ears to listen to those with life experiences different from my own that I began to truly understand the suffering of poor people in the United States and across the globe. - Come Out From Behind the Stained Glass Window
04/04/2011 -- Gracious God, help us, as Easter people, walk the streets of our towns and cities where we may meet justice that is "standing afar off." No more stained-glass masquerade—only a humble walk of justice with our fellow human beings. - Don't Just Give Up, Look In
04/03/2011 -- This lent year instead of "giving up," let us look in. Let us replace giving up with something more befitting with deeper meaning. - Out of the Darkness Comes Greater Light
04/02/2011 -- Any journey requires a light to show us the way. - Lent—An Invitation to Grow Closer to Christ
04/01/2011 -- Lent is an important season in my life. It helps shed light on what I think about Jesus Christ, his sacrifice on Calvary for the sins of humanity, the end of his earthly ministry, the tragedy that led to his death, and his supreme anguish on the cross. - Missing the Point
03/31/2011 -- Often we rush into actions then think after we are confronted with the consequences. Saul, a God-chosen leader was dwelling in God's favor but lost touch with his purpose of mission and fell out of God's favor in the end. - Be Consumed
03/30/2011 -- Daw Dannu, a petite woman, carries her backpack full of paraphernalia for 10 days. She traveled 7 days to join the four day Bible Women Seminar in Yangon, the capital city of Myanmar (Burma). - We Are All God's Children
03/29/2011 -- Just as God provided daily manna and water for the Israelites wandering in the desert, Christ provides the source of our daily spiritual water. - Above All Things: Love
03/28/2011 -- As we continue in this season of Lent and are attempting to know Jesus better, perhaps this is an area on which we can focus: Loving one another. - The Odd Ones in God's Mission
03/27/2011 -- When God chooses people to use for mission, the human mind cannot even begin to understand. - Why Did Jesus Have to Go to Samaria?
03/26/2011 -- The reason for Jesus going to Samaria is best summed up in the words of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 3:28: "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ." - God's Faithful Provision in Our Journey
03/25/2011 -- Whether we are in the wilderness like the Israelites or in the Killing Fields of Cambodia during the Khmer Rogue, whether we are in the slums or plush subdivisions and mansions, God listens to our murmurings. - God's Faithful Provision in the Midst of Most Human Complaints
03/24/2011 -- So many times we find ourselves complaining: How am I going to do this? How are we going to pay our rent? Why is God doing this to me? We, like the Israelites, operate on a short-term memory. - A New Heart and a New Spirit
03/23/2011 -- In this time of Lent, we prepare ourselves for the deepest transformation we can go through as human being or institutions: getting a new heart and new spirit that we may have the fruits of the tree in abundance so nobody will go hungry anymore in our glo... - God's New Creation
03/22/2011 -- As God created heavens and earth very good in the beginning (Genesis 1:31), so God is renewing the heavens and earth for the people to rejoice. God will not destroy the earth to make another universe. - A Child's Eye View
03/21/2011 -- During this Lenten season, help us to see the world through the eyes and hearts of children. - God in the Cloud
03/20/2011 -- A cloud seems to sit over the barrio. It is just there, a cloud of poverty, a cloud of domestic violence, a cloud of drug and alcohol abuse, a cloud of illiteracy, a cloud of hunger—blotting out any reason for hope for generations. - God's Plan
03/19/2011 -- Faith in God and God's vision is easy to talk about, but it is more difficult to just turn loose and know that wherever God leads us is where we need to go and to be. - Speak Up/Speak Out for Justice
03/18/2011 -- Today's reading shows how we can find hope for the future by looking to our past relationship with God and others. - A Makeover in the Making
03/17/2011 -- When we live an honest Lent and allow ourselves to walk that hot dusty August road that exists in every heart, may we too be able to acknowledge the "dead ground," the "moonscapes" of our lives. May we be honest enough to find God's Easter joy of "exubera... - Love to the Least, the Last and the Lost
03/16/2011 -- When we consider those who nurtured us then we can ask how can we as individuals and as Christian communities respond with love to the least, the last and the lost so that we are not a stumbling block for others. - A Homeless Wanderer
03/15/2011 -- Many women are homeless or at risk of being homeless when they come to Emma Norton Residence in St. Paul, Minnesota. - Called Awake and Fed
03/14/2011 -- We recognize what it means to be on a long journey facing loneliness and despair. In the face of every "newcomer" is the reflection of ourselves. Each of us can be the living embodiment of God's love and provide the compassion and care that will sustain o... - Overcoming Temptation
03/13/2011 -- The Temptation of Christ in the desert is a well-known lesson in the Christian faith. Although the story took place more than 2,000 years ago, all of us, and especially our youth, face Satan's temptations daily. - Give Yourself
03/12/2011 -- During this Lenten season, may each of us examine the condition of our own hearts, humbly seek God's mercy, and shower mercy on others through the giving of ourselves to help meet their needs. - And Also Much Cattle
03/11/2011 -- Why does God care for whom he cares? Why for so much of the time does God's job description seem to be to rescue the perishing, care for the dying? Just how does God snatch them in pity from sin and the grave? Why did Jesus weep o'er the erring one, lift ... - Ash and Faith: A Reflection on Ash Wednesday
03/09/2011 -- The images associated with Easter and Christmas are visually more pleasing than those associated with Ash Wednesday. The latter is stuck with images of ashes and sackcloth. Aesthetically speaking, ratings drop at these images. We don't give ashes much tho... - Hope for a Brighter Future
02/18/2011 -- To you who have elected these women to be your officers, I ask you " Will you also be a light to others as you work as a member of this unit of United Methodist Women, fulfilling the Purpose and supporting your officers? " If you are ready to do this, ple... - Fill The World With Love
02/18/2011 -- If there are women here today who are not members, we want you, we need you to join us in our Purpose, in filling the world with love. If there are any men here today, we also need you, your prayers and support as we work together with God. - Women Weaving One World
02/18/2011 -- We each weave our own fabric of faith and life. From the time we are children until we are near the end of our journey, we are creating a pattern or weaving a design. The loom is our life. - Not in My Neighborhood
01/10/2011 -- “Not in My Neighborhood” is designed for use in a group retreat or information session about human trafficking. It includes a facilitator’s guide, a PowerPoint presentation and a Bible study. - Not in My Neighborhood!
01/10/2011 -- This text is designed to be used for a group retreat, accompanied by the “Not in My Neighborhood” PowerPoint presentation. - This Is What I Am: Baptism as Ordination of All Believers
01/07/2011 -- It is renewal time. It is time to pick up centering tools of grace for our onward journey. Baptism is one such means. Imagine someone unfamiliar with this Christian practice asks you, "What is baptism?" What is your personal understanding of baptism? Can ... - Human Trafficking Awareness and Action: A Bible Study
01/07/2011 -- The story of the woman from Bethlehem (Judges 19:1-30) is a call for an investigation into the trafficking of the vulnerable. - This Unspeakable Gift
12/22/2010 -- We've been dwelling with the story of Mary and Elizabeth at Women's Division this season. In preparation for the worship at Leadership Training Event, we began thinking about the roles of these two women in hearing God's call and participating in working ... - Come and Follow
12/15/2010 -- What does it mean to come and follow? We are all called, set apart, to respond in obedience with the love and grace provided through Jesus Christ. - Above, Through, In: Our Deep Connection
12/15/2010 -- Our desire to connect with family and friends reaches a peak during Advent and the holiday season. - Hope in the Midst of Struggle
12/02/2010 -- Let us focus on one group of people that needs special help during this happy period of Advent: the aged. - Being Prepared: A Faith Walk
11/23/2010 -- Once again we stand on the threshold of the Advent season, our expectant hearts excited by the remembrance of the coming of Emmanuel, God with us. - Give Us This Day Our Daily Peace
09/20/2010 -- September 21 is the International Day of Peace, a day to recall the words of Bishop Bromley Oxnam, a leader in the peace movement: “Peace like bread must be made daily.” It is a day to work for peace collectively. - The Hypocenter as Peacemaking
09/15/2010 -- On September 21, 2010, the International Day of Peace will be observed at the Church Center for the United Nation’s Chapel, with an event entitled “The hypocenter as peacemaking.” - Palm Sunday: Hospitality and The Holy City
03/26/2010 -- The celebration, music and excitement of Palm Sunday lead us into Holy Week and offer time for reflection on hospitality.
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