Not surprisingly, I have become very conscious of feet over the past two months. Losing the use of a foot, even temporarily, has made me acutely aware of exactly how important our feet are and how much abuse they take. They bear the weight of our entire body and all the physical activities of our […]
I think it is important to read Scripture in light of Scripture. Too often we Christians, even progressive ones, read passages of Scripture in isolation from other Scripture and come up with very mistaken interpretations as a result. I believe it is much more helpful to follow the lead of our Jewish forebears, including Jesus, […]
I was recently reading a sermon written by the Episcopal priest and author, Barbara Brown Taylor and there was an idea from the sermon that has stayed with me and seemed particularly relevant as I read our passage from acts for this morning. She was speaking about the times when we feel God is absent […]
Phew. We certainly have had a run of difficult Gospel readings of late. Our reading for this morning is so difficult that it is at the top of a list of passages known as “the difficult sayings of Jesus.” I can remember when I began studying Greek in seminary that this is one of the […]
The Rev. Karen B. Johnson A resource I have often turned to during these years of COVID is Matthew Fox’s 2020 book, Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a Time of Pandemic – and Beyond. Julian, a 14th century English mystic who endured the intense suffering of the Black Death plague, at the age of 30, lay near death. […]
Of the four Gospels, the Gospel of Luke has the most to say about wealth, its effects on those who possess it, and what those with more than they need for basic necessities should do with their excess. Throughout this Gospel we see Jesus bringing hope and good news to the impoverished and warning to […]
Very early on in my ordained life I preached a sermon on our Gospel passage for this morning that basically said, “persistence in prayer pays off.” My message was keep knocking and God will give you what you ask for. It wasn’t a very good sermon, and it was bad theology, but well, what can […]
Many years ago, when I was serving in the Diocese of Delaware, I attended a clergy day in which we were to determine our spiritual personality type. I believe there were four possible personalities that we could be—Mary, Martha, Jonah, and a fourth that I can’t remember. I have absolutely no memory of which spiritual […]
I have heard this story of Jesus healing the blind, lame, and paralyzed man at the pool of Beth-zatha hundreds of times, and every time I hear it what stands out to me is Jesus’ question to the disabled man, “Do you want to be made well?” I think to myself, “Well, duh Jesus, of […]
I have a complicated relationship with the Gospel of John. The Jesus portrayed in this Gospel is my least favorite. He talks a lot, a whole lot. He goes on and on for pages and pages talking about himself, often repeating the same idea over and over again. And this always speaking Jesus doesn’t do […]