(In a week when tragedy hits home, frivolity on the internet seems out of place. There’s still a little silliness below, some insightful posts, and a song for the grieving.)

You may have heard of Candlemas recently. It is a celebration on the Church Calendar that doesn’t get that much attention. Just when you though Christmas was over, it’s back! — The Presentation of Our Lord: The Message of Candlemas

Bishop Todd Hunter shares another great reflection on living a transformed life. — Four Challenges and Promises of A Transforming Life

If you miss the original, here you go. Thank you, Billy Joel — We Didn’t Start the Fire

In honor of those who were lost this week. Lord have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord have mercy. Amen.

Mark Heard was one of the finest songwriters America has ever produced. He died in 1992 at the age of 40. His folky songs were staples on Christian radio in the '70s and ‘80s. Always thoughtful, his lyrics became even more introspective and inquisitive with time. Unfortunately, his popularity on Christian radio waned.

Buddy Miller recorded Mark’s song “Treasure of the Broken Land” on a tribute album to Mark. The lyrics are below. Plus you can hear Mark’s original version and a rocked-out version by Chagall Gueverra.

I see you now and then in dreams
Your voice sounds just like it used to
I know you better than I knew you then
All I can say is I love you

I thought our days were commonplace
Thought they would number in millions
Now there's only the aftertaste
Of circumstance that can't pass this way again

Treasure of the broken land
Parched earth, give up your captive ones
Waiting wind of Gabriel
Blow soon upon the hollow bones

I saw the city at its tortured worst
And you were outside the walls there
You were relieved of a lifelong thirst
I was dry at the fountain

I knew that you could see my shame
But you were eyeless and sparing
I awoke when you called my name
I felt the curtain tearing

Treasure of the broken land
Parched earth give up your captive ones
Waiting wind of Gabriel
Blow soon upon the hollow bones

I can melt the clock hands down
But only in my memory
Nobody gets the second chance to be the friend they meant to be

I see you now and then in dreams
Your voice sounds just like it used to
I believe I will hear it again
God how I love you

Treasure of the broken land
Parched earth give up your captive ones
Waiting wind of Gabriel
Blow soon upon the hollow bones

Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. ~ BCP, 1979

(Collects are brief prayers that combine the congregation's prayers into one concise request. Every week, we conclude our time of worship with the collect assigned for that week.)

Try this thought experiment. Here are two miracles: 1) God parts the Red Sea for the Hebrew slaves to escape Pharoah’s army. And 2) God softens the heart of someone who insists on holding a grudge. Which miracle is more impressive?

In this week’s collect we ask God to empower us to proclaim his Gospel so that “we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works…” But isn’t this glory obvious? Aren’t his miracles irresistible?

It’s easy to think that we are wiser than the Hebrews in the Exodus. Surely, if only we were there with Moses, we would recognize God’s hand in delivering us from Pharaoh. Surely, we would appreciate God’s provision with the bread in the desert. Surely, we would not complain. Surely, we would trust the God who moved miraculously among us. Surely . . . surely . . .

But if we’re honest with ourselves, we don’t trust the miraculous. And God’s people in the desert, witnesses to God’s “marvelous works,” didn’t either.

So, we pray that we “may perceive the glory of his marvelous works.” We may be straining our eyes to see God part another Red Sea. We may be looking out for the spectacular, the undeniable. But perceiving his marvelous works starts closer to home, seeing the small moves of God’s Spirit. What is he doing in our lives? There's a nudge here. There is a hint there. A gentle shove from Jesus to drop the grudge so we may see another Red Sea torn in two.

May God help us see the miraculous, and may we train our eyes to “perceive the glory of his marvelous works,” both large and small.

Nehemiah 8 is a brief story that illustrates how the language of the people of Judea changed. No longer fluent in Hebrew, the population of Jerusalem was forced to rely upon the expertise of Levites to help them understand when the Law was read. The Levites “gave the sense.” (Neh 8:8)

Likewise, when Jesus sits down in the synagogue to teach from the scroll of Isaiah, he “gives the sense.” Jesus interprets Scripture and our times. And, when he proclaims, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4), we see that Jesus is the interpretation.

Thanks to Rick Bartlett for guest-linking last week! There are more guest-linkers to come. In the meantime, enjoy these. And feel free to interact!

This fun article explores how the way we build sanctuaries and worship spaces affects our worship and prayer. — The Architecture of Prayer

Matthew Milliner tackles another question of art. Can we use AI to create images of the faithful? Can an icon be an icon and yet created by AI? This article is a great introduction to an unknown saint from Africa and a poignant reflection on how he should be depicted. — Picturing Aphou

The Psalms are the original Blues, and according to this brief article, the Old Testament is an important source for Christian music. — The Old Testament Roots of American Christian Music

Psalm 19 is our psalm for this week’s worship service. It is a psalm about creation and was one of C.S. Lewis’s favorites. It’s certainly one of mine. This is a great reflection by Reagan Satterfield. — The Silent Word of the Way

There is a lot of great music being written in recent years. These lyrics are some of the best written for a long time. For the lyrics “We Will Feast” by Sandra McCracken.

Bishop Todd Hunter does it again. Here’s a brief post on we can trust that where we are now, and what we are now, is sufficiently loved and valued by God. — Longing To Be and To Do Good

Religious humor is funny (to me). The Anabaptists (the Mennonites and Amish) have historically been picked on. Here, they poke fun at themselves. This is for you if you are/were an Anabaptist or know someone who is. All in good fun.

500 Anniversary of Anabaptism Means Getting Baptized 500 Times

Non-Mennonites Allowed to Laugh at Mennonite Jokes

New Study Farmer Sausage Contains Only “Trace Amounts” of Actual Farmers

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever. Amen. ~ BCP, 1979

(Collects are brief prayers that combine the congregation's prayers into one concise request. Every week, we conclude our time of worship with the collect assigned for that week.)

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Illumined originally meant to "spiritually enlighten." It surely means that in this week's collect, too, but what if we think about it literally? God's people are lit up, like lightning bugs, glowsticks, torches, or iPhones. Christians glow in the dark.

It is one of our faith's central metaphors. After all, Jesus is the "light of the world." But how do we shine? How does our light radiate? We are illumined in many ways but the most reliable path is through "Word and Sacrament."

This is not a finger-wagging call to go to church. Instead, it is a reminder, that through regular recounting and reflection on Jesus's story (Word), along with basking in the presence of God in communion (Sacrament), we are illumined or re-illumined as the case may be. It is rejuvenation and restoration that benefits ourselves and a dark, dark world. Tom Wright puts it this way,

We humans are called to stand at the intersection of heaven and earth, holding together in our hearts, our praises, and our urgent intercessions the loving wisdom of the Creator God and the terrible torments of his battered world. - The Day the Revolution Began - pg. 80

Word and Sacrament remind us that God is for us and Christ is with us. By bringing together heaven and earth, at the table and in the book, we reflect the reality of God to ourselves and the world. Christians glow in the dark. We get lit.

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Jesus’ first miracle was at a wedding in Cana. John ensures that his readers understand this first miracle was not just a miracle (as if there were such things) but a sign. Those signs include one instance of walking on the water, one feeding of 5000 people, three healings, and one raising of Lazarus from the dead. But starting them all off, seemingly less important, Jesus makes really good wine for a wedding.

The “master of the banquet,” AKA the wedding coordinator, was impressed with the wine—surprised by its quality. Of course, if Jesus is the creator, why wouldn’t he make the “good stuff.” I wonder if he could make bad wine? (seriously, could he?)

The wedding coordinator’s response raises a question: What kind of headspace do we need to live in so that we might be surprised by God’s goodness? Could it be that every glass of wine, every interaction, and even every sandwich is an opportunity to be surprised by the sheer love and gratuity of Jesus of Nazareth?

Malcolm Guite is one of Christianity’s greatest living poets. Here is his poem on the wedding feast of Cana. You can read it or listen to An Epiphany at Cana.

For the Love of Links is a collection of internet goodies ranging from the sublime to the profane. This week’s guest linker has made FTLOL more thematic and sublime. (Thank’s Rick!) Enjoy!

This week, we focus on the rise and integration of AI in our daily lives.

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Artificial Intelligence, or AI, refers to technology that enables computers to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. These tasks include understanding language, recognizing patterns, solving problems, and even learning from experience. Think of it as teaching a computer how to "think" in certain ways, using vast amounts of data and instructions.

AI is already part of our everyday lives, even if we don’t realize it. When your smartphone suggests a quicker route, helps you type faster with autocorrect, or provides answers through a voice assistant like Siri or Alexa, that’s AI in action. It’s also used in online shopping recommendations, spam filters for email, and personalized playlists on music apps.

What makes AI unique is its ability to learn and improve over time. For example, when you show an AI system how to recognize a face, it can become better at identifying faces the more it practices.

AI has the potential to help us in many ways, from diagnosing diseases to improving education. But like any tool, it’s important to use it responsibly, keeping ethical and moral principles in mind. As Christians, we might consider how AI can serve others and reflect values like compassion, fairness, and stewardship.

A Large Language Model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Gemini is an advanced AI designed to understand and generate human-like text. It assists with answering questions, creating content, and offering guidance, combining vast knowledge with conversational skills to help in meaningful ways.*1

Wondering what AI is and what it can do? My colleague at Indiana Wesleyan University, Brad Garner, created these humorous videos starring “Albert Intestine.” Watch the playlist here:

http://www.kaltura.com/tiny/mggoj

Friend Reveal Trailer

And no, this is not a joke. You can really purchase this.

Kurzweil is a technologist and futurist who currently works at Google. He is best known for predicting the “singularity,” a moment when computers outperform humans. Here is his latest prediction.

The Google expert who predicted the iPhone sees a future where everyone lives in abundance by 2030 - Glass Almanac

What do you think? Is his vision compelling?

Someone created an AI Jesus and posted him on Twitch. It’s interesting to hear how Christianity is interpreted in this way.

https://www.twitch.tv/ask_jesus

At Wheatland, we often talk about how thoughtful, written prayers can help us express ourselves in deeper ways than extemporaneous prayer. If you can’t find the prayer you need, you can now use AI to help you write one.

AI Prayer generator:

https://writemeaprayer.com

This is a classic from Saturday Night Live. Although humorous, it shows how AI is already a big part of our lives.

The intro was written by ChatGPT

Every January, the Lectionary asks us to reflect on one of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ baptism. In the week after Epiphany, we are again called upon to examine what happened when Jesus went under the water and consider what happened to us.

When we do this, we discover that instead of being made holy by the water of baptism, Jesus makes it holy. By entering the water, Jesus saves us from a ritual that cannot achieve forgiveness and turns it into a sign that he has forgiven us. Jesus does not acknowledge his unrighteousness, need, or brokenness through his baptism. Instead, he enters ours.

Rowan Williams comments on baptism in his little book Being Christian,

…you might expect baptized Christians to be somewhere near, somewhere in touch with, the chaos in his or her own life—because we all of us live not just with chaos outside of ourselves but with quite a lot of inhumanity and muddle inside us.

A baptized Christian ought to be somebody who is not afraid of looking with honesty at the chaos inside, as well as being where humanity is at risk, outside.”

FTLOL is a compendium, a round-up, a digest of internet treasures. Some of it’s edifying, and some of it’s humorous. Occasionally, and only occasionally, it is neither.

Important announcement: Guest “Linkers.” Look here in the coming weeks for some guest contributors to FTLOLs. They may take us outside of Wheatland’s Overton Window. You’ll enjoy what they do with this “hallowed” space.

During this first week of Epiphany, we recount and relive Jesus’ baptism in Jordan. But why was Jesus baptized? — He Wades in the Water to Hallow It

Not long ago, Wheatland expanded our practice of baptism to include both “paedobaptism” (baptism of infants) and “credobaptism” (the baptism of those who request it by faith). Wheatland is not alone in moving in this direction. Mike Bird discusses this phenomenon among other groups. — Finding Unity in the Waters that Divide

Karen Swallow Prior is one of Christianity’s most valuable writers. Her insight into what makes American Christianity both sublime and profane is worth your attention. She’s also an educator, and in this podcast, she is lamenting the loss of reading among college-aged young adults. — College Students Who Don’t Read Books

Are you perfectionistic? Are you harder on yourself than on anyone else? Here is another good post from Bishop Todd Hunter of C4SO. He responds to the penetrating question, — “How do we love others when our inner critic is so loud?”

Reading Scripture well is an act of the imagination. The Bible is not the New York Times nor a how-to book. It’s something richer, deeper, and more life-giving. But, it requires something of us — Seeing Sacred Scripture

They are back with a classic from my high school days. I dare you to listen without a smile.

Here is an attempt at doing just that.

The visit of the Magi is usually associated with the Christmas story, but it is also celebrated on the Epiphany, which was this Monday, Jan 6. Enjoy these claymation camels singing “We Three Kings.” Next year, when you sing this song, you’ll hear the camels singing with you.