It is another in the increasingly misnamed Plague Year. We are gathered again at Christmas, and yet we are not. Is the night half-bright or half-dark (much like our Christmas lights)?

Ruth and Naomi eventually find security in Boaz's house. But in linking this story to the story of Judah and Tamar, the writers remind us that pregnancies don't always lead to joy, either.

Jesus's parables about the fig tree and the master coming in the night are a little confusing. Are we supposed to look for signs about the future, or not? If one story is supposed to provide additional motivation for the other, which one? Maybe the core message is: what would you do if you knew that everything you did mattered?

The core challenge of the Good News to people from the earliest days of the church has been: what does faith look like?

Some prophet, long ago, noticed the implications of God being the God of all people--that God's promise was equally for all people.

On Reformation Day, we remember always the foundations of our faith, our lodestone for forming and re-forming our church: Nothing can come between us and the love of God.

As we think about stewarding our resources, we think about those of us who are among the 99 sheep left together.

The parable of the talents is confusing. But in the end, it speaks to our need to overcome indecision and use what we have been given.

As we celebrate the bountiful harvest, we remember when we did not have enough and give thanks for all the Good Things.

Sometimes, the world around us overwhelms our sense of awe at God's creation. In those moments, we must find ways to praise God for the opportunities for change in front of us.