My Pastoral Ponderings

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Month: October 2020

Posted on October 31, 2020October 30, 2020 by Rev. James E. Laurence · 7 Comments

The Path of Blessedness

In the beatitudes, Jesus offers us nine qualities of being a disciple, and blesses us when we seek to do them. Here is my sermon on the beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12.

Posted on October 30, 2020October 30, 2020 by Rev. James E. Laurence · 15 Comments

Trust the Catcher!

As we fly through this stressful, unpredictable year, Henri Nouwen offers a wonderful metaphor and image to cling to, that we can trust the Catcher.

Posted on October 29, 2020October 29, 2020 by Rev. James E. Laurence · 2 Comments

Who the Meek Are Not

Jesus blesses the meek, but who are the meek? Here is a wonderful answer to that question by the poet Mary Karr.

Posted on October 27, 2020November 3, 2020 by Rev. James E. Laurence · 12 Comments

A Nonet at the Close of the Day

A nonet poem offered as a prayer at the close of the day.

Posted on October 26, 2020May 4, 2021 by Rev. James E. Laurence · 8 Comments

Sonnet for Psalm 116

What does it mean to walk before the Lord in the land of the living? Here is a sonnet that I wrote for Psalm 116, reflecting on that question.

Posted on October 24, 2020October 23, 2020 by Rev. James E. Laurence · 5 Comments

Resting in the Grace of Our God

When the grace of this world lets us down, we can turn to the grace of our loving God. Here is my sermon for Reformation Sunday.

Posted on October 23, 2020October 20, 2020 by Rev. James E. Laurence · 22 Comments

A Word of Thanks on My “Blogiversary”

As I celebrate the one-year anniversary of this blog, I offer a thank you and a reminder of why I began this blog.

Posted on October 21, 2020October 21, 2020 by Rev. James E. Laurence · 11 Comments

The Habit of Worship

Here I ponder the important habit of worship, a vital way to "remember the sabbath day and keep it holy." This pandemic is making it more difficult than ever to hold onto this faith-nurturing and life-giving habit.

Posted on October 19, 2020May 4, 2021 by Rev. James E. Laurence · 12 Comments

Sonnet for Psalm 91

Here is a sonnet that I wrote for Psalm 91, as part of my ongoing series of "Poems, Prayers, Psalms, and Promises."

Posted on October 17, 2020October 17, 2020 by Rev. James E. Laurence · 4 Comments

Grace and Peace: My Sermon on First Thessalonians 1:1-10

The opening of Paul's earliest New Testament letter shares five words that remain central to our Christian faith: Grace, Peace, Faith, Love, and Hope. Here is my sermon on 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10.

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