The Muck
Posted: February 17, 2026The phrase has been in my head since I heard Pr. Sherry McGuffin use it in her Around the Mitten reflection for Ash Wednesday. Pr. Sherry was talking about the messiness of the ashes on Ash Wednesday reflecting the messiness of our lives. The Muck. As we look at what happens when humans try to stand in the place of God — when human sin, selfishness, and greed control our decisions and choices, we see the ugliness of it all: poverty, starvation, violence, illness, separation.
I appreciate the breadth of the confession we use on Ash Wednesday. We confess everything from failing to put God first, to taking more than we need, to ignoring human suffering, to ruining God’s good creation. We have not just failed in one way. We have failed spectacularly! The Muck.
Gasse
Posted: January 20, 2026Sometimes wandering can be greatly enhanced by having the counsel of a professional. Last year when we visited Munich, Germany, we used Rick Steves Munich City Walk audio tour on our phones. There were a few things that we would have missed if not for Rick’s guiding. One of those things was Viscardgasse (pictured).
Just on the other side of this “gasse” (German for “alley”), lay a plaza containing a memorial dedicated to the so-called “martyrs of the Third Reich.” These were early Nazis who had been killed in Hitler’s coup attempt in 1923. Germans were required to raiser their arms in a Nazi-style salute as they entered the plaza. The only way to avoid this order was to turn down Viscardgasse instead. The golden stream of shiny cobblestones is a reminder of the detour taken by those who bravely refused to comply.
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