1 Peter 1:3-9 “By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading…” (I Peter 1:3-4) I am working this out still, I know I am, but here it is. Here …
The Promise of Easter Life and Moving President Polk
Matthew 28:1-10 “But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised as he said. Come see the place where he lay…” (Matthew 28:5-6) It is no wonder, of course, that the …
Matthew’s Passion: A Reflection Companion for Holy Week
Matthew 27:11-54 As I sit with Matthew’s Passion, my imagination is captured this time through by the various characters who populate the familiar scene before us now. In fact, I’m considering how we might pause together during this Holy Week with each and all of them. There is Pilate, of course, who appears wholly reluctant …
These Dry Bones and Lazarus and Tooth #30
Ezekiel 37:1-14 John 11:1-45 I do hope my reflection here does not trivialize the power of the images before us now as we find ourselves in a valley of dry bones suddenly re-assembled and infused with breath once more and in the crowd looking on as Jesus’ beloved friend, Lazarus — dead these four days …
Jesus and the Man Blind From Birth
John 9:1-41 Much like last week we have before us a story which is rich and powerful and full and lengthy. As a result there are a number of promising directions one might take as one digs into it including: Whether (or not) God punishes for sin — and specifically whether one’s physical ailments or …
Jesus and the Samaritans
John 4:5-42 There is so very much richness for us in the familiar story of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. In fact, there is just plain so much happening in this lengthy account that it is easy to get distracted before one comes to the larger point or final conclusion of …
Wondering About Nicodemus…
John 3:1-17 It is so that I have been called upon to preach on this piece of John’s Gospel many times before and so it is with some effort this time through to come up with a new way ‘in’ to a very familiar story. And so I am allowing myself to begin by simply …
And Suddenly Angels Came…
Matthew 4:1-11 “And suddenly angels came…” I witnessed this this just yesterday…angels tending one of God’s beloved in the wilderness… But first, this: I took a few days off this last week to ‘reset’ a bit. It had been too long since I have had more than a couple of consecutive days away from work …
Simple White Crosses and Crosses of Ash
Psalm 51 I cut through campus the other day. I had decided to spend some quiet time in the library — reading and praying and pondering ahead to the holy season before us now. Although the fact that I had chosen a ‘window seat’ on the first floor meant I was distracted by the steady …
On the Mountaintop
Matthew 17:1-9 My congregation has been privileged this year to receive the gifts of an intern pastor. It has been a wonderful experience and surely one we hope to repeat again and again. It was as I was reflecting on how this has been so far that I was asked about my own experience as …