Over the next 11 weeks all of our Old Testament readings will be taken from the books of First and Second Samuel, so I thought it might be helpful to step back this morning and take some time to look at the bigger picture. What are these two books, which...

So, who here fully and completely understands the Trinity? Anyone? I know I sure don’t. It is one of those theological concepts that can be very difficult to grasp. Non Christians, especially those who are monotheistic—Jewish people and Muslims—will often excuse us of being tri-theistic, believing in three gods. I...

This morning, I want to share with you my own personal experience of Pentecost. We often think of the Holy Spirit as something that is wild and brings chaos and disorder to our world, and sometimes it does, but other times the Holy Spirit works to bring us together, to...

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...

The Ethiopian Eunuch. What an unexpected Scriptural character he is. He is far outside of the bounds of religious acceptability. As a eunuch he was either born with ambiguous genitalia or he was castrated before puberty. He may have been castrated by choice, but the far more likely explanation is...

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...

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...

I’ve been thinking a lot about atonement lately. Atonement is a theological term that basically seeks to answer the question, “Why does Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection matter to us and to creation?” When you read theological writings about the subject, you can begin to wonder if it is all...

As you might guess, I have had a lot of unoccupied time over the past five weeks of my medical leave. My foot wasn’t working right, but my brain was just fine. I did a lot of reading, and I watched a bunch of tv. In this world of the...

Well lent is here folks. We are at the beginning of our season of preparation, preparation for Easter. For the next forty days, the church encourages us to keep a Lenten fast by, and I quote from the Ash Wednesday service; “by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial;...