Posts by Betsy Schwarzentraub
Poetry from Teresa of Avila
Do you enjoy poetry? I just discovered a new book of poems originally by an unofficial saint of mine, called Sweet Hunter: The Complete Poems of St. Teresa of Avila. I know, most people know Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) as the author of the book, The Interior Castle. But she also wrote mystic poems, and…
Read MoreCesar Chavez
These end-of-summer days are yielding an abundant grape harvest, grown especially juicy under the hot sun. But I’ll never look at a cluster of grapes without remembering Cesar Chavez and the many months’ long boycott that many of us had while he was negotiating with farmers for better working conditions. These days, March 31st is…
Read MoreJohn the Baptist a “Saint?”
No doubt John the Baptist didn’t look very “saintly,” the way we usually think of saints or of people with spiritual messages we might want to hear. After all, this John was known for his ascetic lifestyle, living in the wilderness, wearing strange clothes, and eating insects for food. But he’s also known for baptizing…
Read MoreDr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
These are increasingly terrifying times, especially to people considered on the margins or without the political clout to enforce their rights. So here are two important quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that help me keep going forward: Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only…
Read MoreTolkien, Those Hobbits, and A Lot More
“God is the Lord of angels, and of [people]—and of elves. Legend and history have met and fused,” wrote J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings fantasy series. Each time I read from them, I see more connections with our modern-day world. – March 25th is National Tolkien Reading…
Read MoreLeslie Weatherhead, Inviting Christian Agnostics
Leslie Weatherhead, whose birthday is Oct. 14th, is another unofficial saint of mine. An English theologian in the liberal Protestant tradition, he was right up my alley.His book The Will of God changed my understanding of how God allows free will and works with us when we choose wrong. “God’s circumstantial will” can work with…
Read MoreFlesh and Blood Saints
“Saints” are not bloodless figures in stained glass windows. They’re real people in the past or present who have encouraged our personal faith. This weekend Christians are celebrating the saints in our lives. November first is “All Saints Day” for Protestants and November second “All Souls Day” for Roman Catholics: days to thank God for…
Read MoreAuthor Madeleine L’Engle
Author Madeleine L’Engle’s birthday is Nov. 29th. She was a vibrant writer and a strong person of faith, seen in both her fiction and nonfiction. A Wrinkle in Time and the rest of her science fiction books affirm children, their willingness to care, learn, and risk their lives for one another. Her nonfiction gives even…
Read MoreRabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
“Radical amazement”—Rabbi Abraham Heschel may have coined that term. January first is his birthday. He was an incredible Bible scholar and theologian whom I first met through my seminary studies. Here’s his basic response to life and to God: Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement… Get up in the morning and…
Read MoreAdvent: The O Antiphons
One tradition of Advent, the four weeks before Christmas Day, has long held a particular mystique for me. It’s called the “O Antiphons.” “Antiphons” are short prayers that are chanted, said, or sung. Ever since the 8th Century CE, Roman Christian brothers and sisters in the Religious Orders (monks and nuns) have said this special…
Read MoreAdvent: The Song of Time
Time can look linear for us, but not for God. Living in the Western half of the globe, I grew up assuming that time flows forward from past to present to future. But especially in the past five years or so, I’ve immersed myself in time as a circle—the continuous circle of the ancient Christian…
Read MoreHome Communion Elk Grove United Methodist Church
GREETING (responsively) The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you And also with you. The risen Christ is with us. Praise the Lord! OPENING PRAYER (all) Almighty and everlasting God, in whom we live and move and have our being, you created us for yourself, So that our hearts are restless until they…
Read MoreLeading Worship evaluation sheet
Response to “Leading Worship” course November, 2024 Name: Local Church: 1. What I most appreciated (or) found most meaningful was: 2 What I’d like to say to Betsy Schwarzentraub as teacher: 3. What I’d like to tell others about Betsy’s book, Tossed In Time Expanded Edition: 4. After participating in this planning retreat, I’d like…
Read MoreThe Understory
I was moved by Rebecca Janzen’s article, “Healing from the ground up,” in the Nov. ’24 issue of The Christian Century. In it she reviews a new book called The Understory: An Invitation to Rootedness and Resilience from the Forest Floor. In The Understory the author, Lore Ferguson Wilbert, moves back and forth between personal…
Read MoreAdvent Devotion Based on John 1:1-5
“In the beginning,” John says—the very beginning, as “when God began to create” in Genesis chapter one, verse one. So here is a new genesis: God’s speaking the Word of Love incarnate, in the One we would come to know in human history as Jesus of Nazareth. But not only Him. God’s love is embodied…
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