Do you ever feel like the Bible is reading you? Feel like it is shining a light into the far recesses of your soul and asking you to look more closely at yourself? The beautiful parts as well as the ones we’d prefer not to see? “How often should I forgive?” asked Peter. I’ve asked that question of … Read the rest
Continue reading "Crisis of Forgiveness" »
Last Monday my father and stepmother flew into town to share Thanksgiving with us. I went to SFO planning to pick them up, but I inadvertently made them wait. Or rather, Southwest airlines made us all wait. And for an unexpectedly good reason. Their flight had departed late from Denver, so Dad called to let me know he’d … Read the rest
Continue reading "Awakened in Time" »
What a way to begin ministry together! Consider the stories of faith we’ve heard this morning: a deceitful patriarch Jacob getting his hip put out of joint while wrestling with God, and a strict Paul admonishing his protégé Timothy to suffer for the sake of the Gospel. And then there’s that peevish judge in Jesus’ parable, who … Read the rest
Continue reading "Persevere in Hope" »
It’s all about the meals, according to New Testament scholar Robert Karris. In his book “Eating your Way through Luke’s Gospel,” he points out that Jesus almost always seems to be either going to a meal, at a meal, or coming from a meal. And in the Gospel we just heard, Jesus is teaching about … Read the rest
Continue reading "Dangerous Eating" »
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“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” Ah… our dear friend Thomas, the icon of outspoken doubt. Since Easter fell on April Fool’s Day this year, I find myself particularly grateful … Read the rest
Continue reading "Body of Hurt and Hope" »
“Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you.” In our first reading we heard the Deuteronomist teaching about the imperative of both observing the law and also of passing on faith. Which ought to both reassure and terrify us. We’re told that it’s not hard, but practicing and … Read the rest
Continue reading "Evangelist of Few Words" »Many years ago when I was waking up to my Christian faith, I took a Bible study course that used a particular method for reading scripture. Bible scholars call that a hermeneutic: a lens though which we consciously (or unconsciously) interpret a sacred text. So in this case, for each Scripture passage we studied, we were asked to … Read the rest
Continue reading "Compassionate Judgment" »When I was just out of college I spent a year volunteering with Habitat for Humanity at its headquarters in the rural south. I was mostly doing construction work outside, so the pervasive Georgia red dirt found its way into every pore. But I was young and hopeful, so I was kind of proud of the grime that … Read the rest
Continue reading "Good News for Bad Soil" »I’ve been away from St. Stephen’s a lot recently, so unless you’re directly involved in adult education—which is part of my diocesan day job and mostly what I’m called to do here—I’ve been missing you. But there’s a lot of great new adult classes starting soon, so stay tuned for opportunities to grow in faith. We’ll have … Read the rest
Continue reading "Pretenders to the Throne" »
