Ok - we're back with some of the days of the week.  Jean Sibelius, George RR Martin, The Phantom of the Opera, and Nintendo.  And Sunday is Pancake Day.  On the website, there is a recipe.

A couple of odd lessons for this week - Song of Songs and Psalm 45.  But still, the Bible would be a whole lot less interesting without them!  And we hear Jesus tell how sin and evil does not have to do with what goes into a person, but rather what comes out from them.  One writer puts it, not what goes into the stomach, but what comes out of the heart.

From the church calendar, we notice Rose of Lime, first person born in the Americas to be canonized by the Catholic Church, And King Louis of France - the only French king to e made a saint.  August 24 is waffle day; for literary birthdays this week we have Ray Bradbury and Edgar Lee Masters.  There's also something called "The Great Moon Hoax" - fitting for a week with the full moon shining through the windows! 

We're back after three months - with thoughts on this Sunday's lessons.  Solomon brings the Ark into the Temple with a lot less fuss then when David brought it to Jerusalem.  Joshua charges the people to choose this day whom they will serve.  And John wraps up the chapter about Jesus is the Bread.  We close with a prayer acknowledging the evil and suffering in the world, and God's wonderful love and faithfulness.

The Sunday after Pentecost is Trinity Sunday.  We start off wondering why we don't get the Creation Story each year for Trinity.  And then move on to the call of Isaiah and John 3, including "God so loved the world", although we don't really spend time on that verse this go round!

We're back after a week or so off.  Today's Pentecost - with a nice piece by Madeleine L"Engle on love; next Sunday is Trinity - there's a prayer.  And May 24 - John Wesley, Bob Dylan, "Mary Had a Little Lamb", and "What Hath God Wrought!".  All that and more -

That last post should really have been 4.27 - I guess I was a little bit late getting it out and ended up dating it for the Sunday, not the posting date.  Oops.  This week we have Saint Monica and a Prayer for Mothers.  We learn about the 27th amendment to the US Constitution, and remember Pete Seegar.  We end up the week with the Piano Man - Billy Joel.

A look at the scripture lessons for May 2.  A lot of questions this week.  We close with some words on joy and love from Eberhard Arnold, and then a portion of the Celtic Beltane Blessing.  May 1 is Beltane -

April 27 looks at a couple of women - Christina Rossetti, a poet, and Zita, an Italian saint.  We have a quiz about Sarah Josepha Buell Hale - do you know who she was?  We hear about Duke Ellington and there is a link to him playing music inspired by Shakespeare, a link to Muddy Waters singing I Got My Mojo Working, and one to Willie Nelson singing How Great Thou Art.  And then we reflect on May Day.  As always, if you want to follow the links, they are at https://wordstwiceaweek.blogspot.com.

It's the fourth Sunday of Eastertide.  We get the story of Peter and John explaining how they had healed or saved or man that was lame, this time to the authorities who had arrested them.  Are they simply concerned about a man being healed, or are there more significant issues under the surface?  And then the 23rd Psalm, and Jesus talks about being the Good Shepherd.