Recent Posts
“May”hem (and the Gift of Limits)
May is the busiest month of the year for most of us living in the burbs of Chicago: there’s the end-of-school-year rush, graduation parties, sports, college decisions, concerts etc… I’ve heard this phenomenon described as "May Madness" or "Mayhem*," or around ECRC I’ve even heard “Maycember” in reference to the other busiest month of the year around church.
Hallelujah, Anyhow
Sometimes I feel the need to praise God, even when I don’t feel like it.
Have you ever felt like going to church would be hypocritical because you just weren’t feeling it? Ever been so sad, depressed, or weighed down that music just felt like noise?
I’ve been there, too! And yet, there has always come a moment for me when I know it’s time to praise God anyhow. Sometimes the next “Hallelujah” costs a lot.
Easter Gets Personal
Easter is a big day. Full of color, great music, and celebration. It’s legitimately the highlight of the year for me just as Jesus’ resurrection is the highlight of our faith. But as amazing as Easter Sunday can be, the Monday after Easter always feels strange and awkward. Unlike Christmas, where most of the population has time to linger and lean into an extended holiday period, the days after Easter force us back into business as usual.
On one level this bothers me: shouldn’t Easter change everything?!...
Change of Service
Back in February of 2020, our Elders at church approved the implementation of the concept of 5th Sunday Serve: Anytime there was a 5th Sunday of the month, we would pause from our ordinary Sunday morning worship rhythm and mobilize as many willing hands and feet as possible to serve our community in Jesus’ name. Do you remember what happened in March of 2020? Let’s just say that our inaugural 5th Sunday Serve scheduled for the spring didn’t go exactly as planned...
Good Friday - Holy Week Invitations
If Holy Week is such an important time for followers of Jesus, why do the days of the week have such curious names? “Maundy Thursday?” What is a Maundy? And “Good Friday?” How can we call this day good when the events that we remember seem so tragic?
On the “Maundy” issue, that strange word comes down to us from the Latin word, “Mandatum,” which means “commandment.” In the Upper Room, after washing his disciples’ feet and before sharing the Lord’s Supper, Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you: that you should love one another.” As a kid, I thought it was “Monday Thursday,” which is even stranger!..
The Madness of Crowds
Perhaps you’ve found yourself screaming at referees in a crowded stadium…and you’re not prone to verbal outburst. Or maybe you’ve found yourself singing at the top of your lungs at a Taylor Swift show… and you don’t even sing in the shower. Such is the madness of the crowds...