Blessed to be a witness

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004Thu, 12 Dec 2024 10:42:06 +0000JesusbreadcommunionhoperesurrectionshareAmosBlessed to be a WitnessElijahGodGod's storyHerodIsaiah 43John the BaptistNaomiRuthall of usbeheadingbrutalbutterflycakescallingconflictcounter-narrativefaithfulfearforgivenessfriendshipjusticekatrinaliving wordlove winsmoneymore to the storynew lifenew orleansordinary peoplepromiseprophetradicalreconciliationsavespendstarvingstewardshipsustainsycamorethirsttrustvigilvisionwashing handswaterwildernesswill never leavewitnessesyouthBlessed to be a witnesson the journey of discernment and answering God's callingshttp://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)Blogger229125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-1862753488144178473Sun, 14 Apr 2024 14:30:00 +00002024-04-15T16:59:50.380-05:00Sharing in WondersPsalm 4 and Luke 24:36b-48Close your eyes and think a moment… What is your favorite memory of a meal?Why did you pick that one? Was it the food? The company? The whole experience? One of the memories that floats straight to the top for me is kind of unexpected. The setting was Powell, Wyoming along one of those iconic fast-moving streams. We were invited to a day of fly-fishing. Now, if you http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2024/04/sharing-in-wonders.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-102496010814409126Sun, 31 Mar 2024 14:30:00 +00002024-04-15T17:02:33.853-05:00Embodied UnboundEaster Sunday - Isaiah 25: 6-9 and Mark 16:1-8                        Image from A Sanctified Art <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2024/03/embodied-unbound.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-2676413434577277029Sat, 30 Mar 2024 22:00:00 +00002024-04-15T17:04:21.773-05:00Life AlteredEaster Vigil – Baptism of Soonee Vangyang                            Image from A Sanctified ArtThis is the night!How wonderful to gather with you this evening around the fire that represents God’s mighty presence from the creation until now—another moment of God’s new creation. How wonderful http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2024/03/life-altered.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-4587260199760747409Sun, 17 Mar 2024 14:30:00 +00002024-04-15T17:07:05.477-05:00Altered Alongside our EnemiesLent 4 - Jeremiah 31: 31-34 and John 12: 20-33                             Detail of Image from A Sanctified Art        A few weeks ago, one of the youth of our congregation expressed that he wanted to read the Bible more and asked, “What would I http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2024/03/altered-alongside-our-enemies.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-8563731917016249678Sun, 10 Mar 2024 14:30:00 +00002024-04-15T17:10:00.752-05:00Altered through God’s CreativityLent 4 - John 3                                                                            Image from A Sanctified http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2024/03/altered-through-gods-creativity.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-9085599232216268528Sun, 25 Feb 2024 15:30:00 +00002024-04-15T17:14:33.165-05:00Altered Through Stories We Don’t TrustMark 8: 31-38                                                                                Image from http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2024/02/altered-through-stories-we-dont-trust.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-4728509355740652296Sun, 11 Feb 2024 15:30:00 +00002024-04-15T17:18:50.349-05:00In Christ, We Gain Vision Transfiguration of JesusToday, I want to begin with words from Joy McElroy, Director of Cherish All Children. These are words she shared in her weekly Wednesday prayer. The Transfiguration is one of those surreal stories of the Bible. The disciples were terrified, they didn’t know what to say, they hear God’s voice telling them to listen to Jesus, and then they’re sent back down the mountainhttp://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2024/02/in-christ-we-gain-vision.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-4967641538767852149Sun, 04 Feb 2024 15:30:00 +00002024-04-15T17:22:09.723-05:00We find strength and renewalIsaiah 40 and Mark 1Yesterday, I attended a workshop offered by the Saint Paul Area Synod—Beginnings & Endings: Contemplating God’s hopeful direction for your congregation. I sat with members of congregations from throughout the area—rural, suburban and city congregations—and we began with worship and then a video about the Two Loops Model from the Berkana Institute.[1] This was a http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2024/02/we-find-strength-and-renewal.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-6342155639163427424Sun, 28 Jan 2024 15:30:00 +00002024-04-15T18:27:15.061-05:00Calling the Disciples: We Practice Truth & Equity Mark 1: 21-28When people heard Jesus speak, when they experienced Jesus in person, people sensed a unique authority or maybe we would say authenticity in Jesus’ actions and words. In the welcome words today, we heard this “We encounter that authority in God’s word, around which we gather, the word that prevails over any lesser spirit that would claim power over us, freeing us to http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2024/01/calling-disciples-we-practice-truth.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-669864463662020983Mon, 15 Jan 2024 00:27:00 +00002024-04-15T18:29:03.353-05:00How does a weary world rejoice? We trust our belovedness Luke 3:21-22                                                                Image from A Sanctified ArtLast week we remember the ritual of Jesus’ dedication http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2024/01/how-does-weary-world-rejoice-we-trust.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-8173981404940374590Sun, 07 Jan 2024 15:30:00 +00002024-04-15T18:31:02.772-05:00How Does a Weary World Rejoice? We Root Ourselves in Ritual Jesus’ Dedication & Epiphany                                        Image from A Sanctified ArtIt was just a over a week since Jesus was born and his parents were moving through the first week with their tiny infant, moving through their http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2024/01/how-does-weary-world-rejoice-we-root.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-737764864230409784Sun, 26 Nov 2023 15:30:00 +00002023-12-07T22:29:48.013-06:00How does a weary world rejoice? We acknowledge our weariness Luke 1On Thanksgiving Eve, I went to worship at a neighboring congregation and the pastors reminded us that gratitude is not necessarily a feeling but a practice. Sometimes feelings of thanks well up within us—like those who met around this week’s Gratitude feast hosted by Daily Work and Shobi’s Table. But sometimes, gratitude doesn’t come as easily. In tough times, it’s the discipline of http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2023/11/how-does-weary-world-rejoice-we.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-1196419056551864007Sun, 12 Nov 2023 15:30:00 +00002023-12-07T22:26:34.392-06:00Invitation to AnticipationBega Kwa Bega Partnership Sunday              Matthew 5:1-12Jesus said to the disciples: Then the kingdom of heaven will e like this. Ten bridesmaids… And Jesus goes on to tell a story that goes against most everything we’ve ever been told about who God is and who Jesus invites us to be…We hear that half of the bridesmaidshttp://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2023/11/invitation-to-anticipation.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-3339919093339049680Sun, 05 Nov 2023 15:30:00 +00002023-12-07T22:24:29.067-06:00Remembering, letting go, healing with the saints All Saints’ Sunday - Revelation and Matthew           Blessed are you when you mourn, for you shall be comforted…Those of you who feel the lowest of the low—Jesus says: I see you, I honor you, you are part of God’s dream, God’s family, God’s circle of love and support Some of you know that I celebrated a milestone birthday recently and http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2023/11/remembering-letting-go-healing-with.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-8768444303647580894Sun, 29 Oct 2023 14:30:00 +00002023-10-29T09:30:00.156-05:00Building a Culture of Generosity: God’s Changing Things for GoodPastor Joy – I want to invite the children to come up if you’d like... and as you come up we are going to sing together “I Will Call Upon the Lord”Today is such a special day—Reformation Sunday, Commitment Sunday AND Family Fun Day Sunday! We’re so glad you’re here! Ocho - Hi everybody! Pastor Joy – Oh wow, here’s Ocho! Ocho, I’m so glad you’ve joined us for this special http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2023/10/building-culture-of-generosity-gods_0867552120.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-1672811903748372310Sun, 22 Oct 2023 14:30:00 +00002023-10-26T21:26:25.251-05:00Building a Culture of Generosity – God’s Amazing Generosity Exodus 33 & 34 “Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.”Ah… Moses. Saved by the midwives Shiprah and Puah, his sister Miram, his mother and the Pharoah’s daughter. Moses – raised by his own enslaved people and the ruling class.Moses, who fled Egypt for Midian, married Zipporah, was called by God in a burning bush to go back to http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2023/10/building-culture-of-generosity-gods.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-2491826171926824001Sun, 15 Oct 2023 14:30:00 +00002023-10-26T21:24:42.095-05:00Building a Culture of Generosity: Anxiety, Anger & Changing Your MindExodus 32: 1-14 and Matthew 22: 1-14What gets in the way of generosity?Anxiety.We don’t like it when there are delays. God’s people in the wilderness didn’t like it either. Moses had been gone too long. What if he was dead? What if he was never coming back? What if this God that Moses kept talking about wasn’t real? In Egypt, they had gods that you could see—statues, painted stories—what did theyhttp://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2023/10/building-culture-of-generosity-anxiety.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-7250124415795983574Sun, 08 Oct 2023 14:30:00 +00002023-10-26T21:22:51.884-05:00Building a Culture of Generosity: The Ten Best Ways Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 and Matthew 21:33-46 Although I mostly want to stick to Exodus this morning, I can’t help but notice the vineyards. On Christ’s beautiful paraments (the fabrics that beautify the space in the green season) and throughout these parables from Matthew, grapevines. We hear about them again and again. If we were reading the beautiful prayer from Isaiah 5, we http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2023/10/building-culture-of-generosity-ten-best.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-8494196800522796498Sun, 01 Oct 2023 14:30:00 +00002023-10-06T09:39:59.171-05:00Building a Culture of Generosity: Water from a Rock in the WildernessExodus 17: 1-7We are so lucky that through our Saint Paul Area Synod, we have access to Stewardship resources each year. We have a consultant/trainer and we get to learn with others from congregations throughout the Saint Paul Area Synod. So… in the past few years, as we have learned as part of the Stewardship in all Seasons cohort, we have picked our themes—“Becoming New” was our theme last fallhttp://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2023/10/building-culture-of-generosity-water.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-7947333686679111254Sun, 17 Sep 2023 14:30:00 +00002023-10-06T09:42:35.700-05:00Anything But Ordinary: Passage through the Red SeaExodus 14: 19-31                                                               &nbsphttp://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2023/09/anything-but-ordinary-passage-through.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-2902877423725445661Sun, 27 Aug 2023 14:30:00 +00002023-10-06T09:50:11.745-05:00Anything But Ordinary: Moses' BirthImage from sanctifiedart.org - used as part of a purchased series "Anything But Ordinary"Exodus 1:8-2:10 and Matthew 16: 13-20                                                      Last week, we ended our Family Fun Day Sunday story with Ocho in such a http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2023/08/anything-but-ordinary-moses-birth.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-2858973874656162206Sun, 06 Aug 2023 14:30:00 +00002023-10-06T09:50:41.449-05:00Anything But Ordinary: Joseph ForgivesImage from sanctifiedart.org - used as part of a purchased series "Anything But Ordinary"Genesis 45:1-15 and Luke 3: 3b-6Today is my Dad’s 78th birthday and that has taken on special meaning because last Saturday night, we weren’t sure he would live through the night. We visited him in the afternoon and he did not look well, but there was no clarity about what was wrong. We talked http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2023/08/anything-but-ordinary-joseph-forgives.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-8520078826633874765Sun, 29 Jan 2023 15:30:00 +00002023-02-03T21:31:00.935-06:00Who Is Blessed? Who can we bless? Micah 6 & Matthew 5Last Sunday, I went home after our Pre-Annual Meeting Budget meeting energized. I can’t say that I remember feeling this way before but I was moved by something that happened as the conversation turned from money specifically to gratitude for the leaders of the congregation, leaders who have had a really tough financial year to manage. Some of the past leaders thanked the http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2023/01/who-is-blessed-who-can-we-bless.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-96858890207055613Sun, 15 Jan 2023 15:30:00 +00002023-02-03T21:29:30.490-06:00It’s kairos time, belovedsBaptism of JesusLet’s listen again - 13Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16And when Jesus had been baptized, http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2023/01/its-kairos-time-beloveds.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34758004.post-8312213787115334818Sat, 24 Dec 2022 22:30:00 +00002023-02-03T21:27:34.887-06:00From Generation to Generation: We Tell This StoryChristmas Eve             Luke 2  What are some of your very favorite Christmas stories? Ooooo, I like that one too.These are the stories we tell and listen to and watch for every year alongside the story of Jesus because they tell us something about what we’re longing for in our lives.The gifts and feelings that http://blessed-to-be-a-witness.blogspot.com/2022/12/from-generation-to-generation-we-tell.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joy McDonald Coltvet)0