“In this wise, entertaining, and educational book, Amy-Jill Levine offers a fresh, timely reinterpretation of Jesus’ narratives. In Short Stories by Jesus , she analyzes these “problems with parables,” taking readers back in time to understand how their original Jewish audience understood them. Levine reveals the parables’ connections to first-century economic and agricultural life, social customs and morality, Jewish scriptures and Roman culture. With this revitalized understanding, she interprets these moving stories for the contemporary reader, showing how the parables are not just about Jesus, but are also about us—and when read rightly, still challenge and provoke us two thousand years later.”  ~from Amazon

COME — LEARN — ENJOY!

Household Prayers:

Morning
God of endings, of packing up decisions;
of keeping and leaving; of saying goodbye;
the practice of closing and tidying of moving; the finality of distance between;
of newness, the lonely silence of emptiness.  Grant me the strength to start over. Amen.

Evening
Generous God,
a day of worship; a day of rest
a day in community; a day to be blessed
a day for offering;
a day for welcoming;
a day of remembering; a day of reckoning.
This is the day the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Amen.