There are passages of Scripture that comfort us, and there are passages that unsettle us. And sometimes, if we are willing to stay with them long enough, the unsettling passages may have more to teach us. Today’s Gospel is one of those passages. It begins with Jesus speaking about purity. The religious controversy of the […]
Immediately after feeding a multitude with five loaves and two fish, Jesus makes the disciples get into a boat. “Make” is almost too gentle a word. The Greek verb suggests that Jesus compelled them, constrained them, practically forced them into the boat. This is not a pleasant invitation to take an evening cruise. Jesus puts […]
Today’s Gospel begins with Jesus trying to get away. Matthew tells us that Jesus withdrew by boat to a deserted place. He had just learned that John the Baptist had been murdered by Herod. John—Jesus’ cousin, teacher, baptizer, and fellow prophet—had been executed because he dared to speak truth to power. Jesus must have been […]
One of the most haunting stories I’ve ever read is from Jim Wallis, in his book, Call to Conversion. Wallis describes something that happened at a conference in New York City on social justice that included religious leaders of all kinds. “At one point,” he recalls, “a Native American man stood up, looked out over […]
Today is the second Sunday of Easter. Notice I didn’t say “after” Easter but “of” Easter, because for Christians Easter isn’t a day but is instead a season. We get 50 whole days of Easter! Isn’t that fabulous?!?! Well, sort of. It is hard to sustain the joy and mystery of Easter. One Easter Season […]
What does a Christian Community look like? Today I am not going to give a sermon, but instead lead a discussion, or a Bible study. I want us to look very closely at our readings from Acts for today and since it is a passage about Christian community, I think that it is important that […]