Until I heard the song”Crucify Him” by Shane & Shane, all I thought of Palm Sunday services was that it was that super long, boring Mass with the Passion reading. Everyone’s favorite, right? The verses in the song call out the irony that in under a week, the people in Jerusalem can go from shouting […]

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus has several run-ins with the Pharisees, who usually try to put Jesus between a rock and a hard place. Don’t pay taxes to Caesar, and you’re an outlaw. Tell your followers to pay taxes, and you’re just as corrupt as the tax collectors. Heal that crippled man today, and you’ll be […]

This week’s Gospel reading, the famous parable of the Prodigal Son, is one of my favorites to reflect on periodically because I’ve been able to picture myself as different people in the story at different times in my life. The younger son in the story gets the most attention by many readers – we can […]

Sometimes I feel like the middle of Lent is the worst. It’s like the Wednesday of a really, really long week – you’ve used up your energy from a restful weekend, and the next one feels so very far away. The “this is going to be the best Lent ever! I’m going to give up […]

This Sunday’s readings – the Gospel reading in particular – always reminds me of Nazareth Farm. Luke 9:28-36 tells the story of Jesus’ Transfiguration. In it, Jesus takes his disciples up the mountain to pray, where his appearance is transfigured by a dazzling white light – the light of God. Peter, John, and James awake […]

The Gospel and second readings are beautiful this Sunday, but the passage from Deuteronomy, which I personally haven’t spent a lot of time reading, has been speaking to my heart. In this passage, Moses is recalling how good God has been to the Hebrews since He rescued them from Egyptian slavery. The 10 plagues God […]

At first glance, Ash Wednesday’s readings are incredibly ironic. In the first reading, the prophet Joel says to “Blow the trumpet in Zion! Proclaim a fast, call an assembly, gather the people” (Joel 2:15-16). But then the Gospel reading says to NOT blow trumpets or be hypocrites by giving alms or praying in the streets […]

I have a long and broken relationship with two little letters in the English language: M.S. They seem so insignificant, but when placed together they mean much more than that.   M.S. is an abbreviation for Multiple Sclerosis, an auto-immune disease that affects 400,000 people in the United States. White blood cells, the body’s natural […]

Life can get a little bit tough But it doesn’t mean that you should ever give up God made you though enough To get through all of your stuff I know you might not see it now But I promise you will get up off the ground God will be cheering in the crowd While […]

The Third Annual “Run for Nazareth Farm” is just two weeks away.  On Friday, August 11th, a team of Nazareth Farm Staff Members, Board Members, and Friends of the Farm will come together in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia to run more than 100 miles to raise awareness and funds for our 4 Cornerstones and 1 […]