Complete this sentence. Obey your…
So in our first lesson this morning, we’ve met Peter and the apostles, boldly announcing to the Senhadrin—the central council of religious authorities in Jerusalem—that they obeyed God rather than any human authority. That’s the kind of statement that’s bound to get you into trouble with those same human authorities. And in fact … Read the rest
Continue reading "Thomas the Obedient" »For several days last week, I was driving around with a kind of scary black garbage bag in the back of my car. And the bag got a bit scarier every day that it stayed there, because it was full of damp used towels. Towels that came from a service of footwashing. And the feet belonged to the … Read the rest
Continue reading "Take Up Your Towel" »“When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place…”
It’s more than a little bit unsettling when 2000 year-old texts read like last week’s headlines. As I was preparing this sermon, I felt like I should probably be looking over my shoulder the whole time, just in case there were … Read the rest
Continue reading "Apocalypse, Already." »
“In the quantum world, relationship is the key determiner of everything. Subatomic particles come into form . . . only as they are in relationship to something else. There are no ‘basic building blocks’ . . . These unseen connections between what were previously thought to be separate entities are the fundamental ingredient of all creation.”
So writes … Read the rest
Continue reading "Quantum Calling" »
“I know a person… who was caught up into Paradise,” Paul wrote to the church in Corinth nearly two thousand years ago. “Even considering the exceptional character of the revelations, however, I refrain from boasting.”
This passage is one of my favorites in all of Paul’s voluminous and dense correspondence to the early church, in large part because … Read the rest
Continue reading "Unexceptional Grace" »“What do you think?” Jesus asked the chief priests and elders. Well, what do YOU think about the behavior of these two sons? Is it better to be a hypocrite or a nay-sayer?
Spoiler alert: this parable was kind of a trap for the temple authorities, because Jesus was using it to reveal their own hypocrisy. They gave … Read the rest
Continue reading "Saying Yes and Saying No" »“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is … Read the rest
Continue reading "Francis and Feeding the Wolves" »Just how much mustard do we need, really?
I know its an odd question, but since we just heard the famous parable of the mustard seed I want to reflect a bit on my relationship to its condiment cousin. I don’t know about you, but I have lots of mustard in my refrigerator. There are all these odd … Read the rest
