St. Stephen

By Rev. Dr. Fritz Ritsch August 29, 2021 James 1:17–27 Mark 7:1–8, 14–15, 21–23 SILENT REFLECTION “My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot… Read More »Inside, Outside

By Rev. Dr. Fritz Ritsch August 22, 2021 Joshua 24: 1-2, 14-18 John 6: 56-69 Our guide, Max, had started the day badly. Our tour… Read More »Once Upon a Time in Shechem

By Rev. Dr. Fritz Ritsch Dear Friends in Christ at St. Stephen:    With the recent extreme uptick in COVID-19 cases in Tarrant County, the… Read More »COVID Protocols Update: Aug. 18, 2021

By Rev. Dr. Fritz Ritsch John 6: 51-58 Margaret and I decided to become vegetarians about a year and a half ago. A few months… Read More »You Are What You Eat

By Rev. Dr. Wayne Menking 2 Samuel 18: 5-9, 15, 31-33 | Ephesians 4:25-32 | John 6:35, 41-51 In his last book, Failure of Nerve,… Read More »A Way Out of No Way

By Rev. Dr. Fritz RitschII Corinthians 8: 7-15 Have you ever described someone as “a god” or “godlike”? I know we all know better than… Read More »Who God Is and Who We Are

By Rev. Dr. Fritz RitschI Samuel 8: 4-15, Mark 4: 26-34 “Smallness is subversive,” Sarah Ruhl writes, “because smallness can creep into smaller places and… Read More »Subversive Smallness

By Rev. Dr. Fritz RitschMark 3: 20-35 My wife Margaret teaches college students Strategic Communications—public relations, marketing, so forth. She has students write blog posts… Read More »Best Selves—Versus Blest Selves

By Rev. Dr. Warner BaileyJohn 3: 1-17 In our Old Testament lesson, God makes a startling announcement. God is ready to begin a new chapter.… Read More »Not to Condemn But to Save

By Rev. Dr. Fritz Ritsch Psalm 23, John 10: 1-10 In October of 1993, exactly one week after our first child Sara Caitlin was born,… Read More »Depending on the Good Shepherd