December 2021

December 30, 2021

Out to pasture/pastor/Pasteur?

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Current Events, Lifework, Personal Power, Time

December 30, 2021

2 Min Read

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30December

(This entry is part of an ongoing collection of blogs that examine the future of congregations post-COVID19. Each entry forms itself around a question looking for clarity or even answers.) I wonder who will do the necessary work of bringing congregations into the new post-COVID contexts for churches. Some possibilities… People out to pasture An interesting idiomatic expression, hmm? Horses andMORE...

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December 27, 2021

Like an older Smartphone

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Lifestyle, Mind/Body, Time

December 27, 2021

2 Min Read

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27December

My *elderly iPhone is showing its age. Its *battery health has been waning recently. It’s moving more slowly, not loading its featured programs as quickly. It takes longer to fully charge this sturdily useful piece of technology. As an artifact within my own elderhood, this phone may be like me in some ways—losing some energy, but still looking forward to more years of sturdy usefulness. InMORE...

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December 23, 2021

It’s (about) time!

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, Mind/Body, Soul Searchings, Time

December 23, 2021

2 Min Read

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23December

Over the centuries, God’s people have pleaded, “How long, O Lord?” God’s answer? When *the fullness of time had come, God sent Jesus to save and rescue the world. During Christmastide, we might characterize that pleasant-sounding fullness as the result of God’s careful planning—choosing the perfect moment, when all the right conditions were in place for Messiah to arrive. The contexts surroundingMORE...

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December 20, 2021

He is rising!

By Bob Sitze

In Mind/Body, Soul Searchings, Time

December 20, 2021

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20December

It’s way too early to celebrate Easter Sunday. On the other hand, if every Sunday’s worship remembers this central event in Jesus’ life, then Easter-inspired ideas and emotions could also be embedded in Yuletide celebrations. Then Christmas is also “Alleluia!” time. The evidence to the contrary seems strong right now—self-serving impulses driving the false promise of materialism; COVID’s gripMORE...

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December 16, 2021

Let’s get serious!

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, Lifework, Personal Power, Soul Searchings, Time, Words

December 16, 2021

2 Min Read

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16December

From my vantage point, Advent’s ideals don’t suggest a whole lot of frivolity. The season’s sharp focus on present and future realities tugs at something else inside my spirit, reminding me that “celebration” may not be the highest manifestation of spirituality. Seasonal Scriptures remind me about God’s action in history and what surely is coming, perhaps soon. “Get serious” is what I hear. ThisMORE...

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December 13, 2021

Let’s get real!

By Bob Sitze

In Lifework, Soul Searchings, Time

December 13, 2021

2 Min Read

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13December

One lively feature of Advent is its attention to reality. The season’s down-to-earth emphases course through prayers, texts, hymnody and sermons. These themes, stories and invitations seem more tangible, more connected to the emotions that live inside me right now. Advent’s warnings, hopes and promises don’t mince words. I am less moved to stand or stare in wonder—that will come soon enough atMORE...

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December 10, 2021

Repurposed churches?

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, Lifework, Relationships, Soul Searchings, Time

December 10, 2021

2 Min Read

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10December

(This entry is part of an ongoing collection of blogs that examine the future of congregations post-COVID19. Each entry forms itself around a question looking for clarity or even answers.) It may be so obvious that you might miss it: Post-COVID, our congregations will retain their place as centers for social intelligence. You may think about that fact in different terms, but what takes place inMORE...

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December 6, 2021

An Advent Gospel Reading

By Bob Sitze

In Soul Searchings, Time

December 6, 2021

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06December

It’s Advent season, and its blessings are becoming apparent again. Because of Advent’s place in the calendar, we can look backward and forward in time—with perhaps-heightened awareness—so that our present moments remain satisfying, useful and important. We can move with the currents of these days, but still remain moored to what God has done throughout history and what God intends for us into theMORE...

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December 2, 2021

Not welcome?

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, Relationships, Soul Searchings

December 2, 2021

2 Min Read

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02December

(This entry is part of an ongoing collection of blogs that examine the future of congregations post-COVID19. Each entry forms itself around a question looking for clarity or even answers.) In post-COVID congregations, some questions will remain for the people of God to wrestle with. One seems particularly important for the future of the Church: Who’s welcome and who isn’t? In most places, “AllMORE...

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