On Christmas Eve we gathered amidst the candlelight, the carols, and sugar plum fairies and heard of the Incarnation from the Gospel of Luke. Luke firmly planted his rendition of the Incarnation amidst the decrees of the Caesar, the songs of the angels, and the manger in Bethlehem. Two days later we gathered for the First Sunday after Christmas and listened to John’s take on the Incarnation. John grounded his rendition in the primordial light […]
I have been so influenced on Elaine Pagels’ work on the prologue to John, that it’s hard for me to look at John without seeing it through that lens. And, in this busy time of the year, I don’t think I’m going to expend much energy trying to move beyond it! So, here it goes… Dr. Pagels identifies a feature she calls “the three negations” deeply embedded in the fabric of the Prologue. And it’s […]
The story of Jesus’ birth in the Gospel of Luke begins with the invocation of the emperor, his wishes, and everyone following his command. He desired a census and everyone jumped to fulfill the task. There is no hint of distaste here. No little jab at the Caesar, his authority, or even his claim to be divine. He commands and people listen. Even pregnant women. Even a certain unwed pregnant mother. Honestly, it’s a brilliant […]
“Have you accepted Emmanuel as your Lord and Savior?” “I’ve given my heart to Emmanuel.” “I pray in Emmanuel’s name.” When’s the last time you heard one of these statements? Yeah, me neither. If you told someone that you oriented your life to follow the teachings of Emmanuel, and worshipped Emmanuel every weekend – wouldn’t most people assume that you were part of some weird, fringe religion? Who? And yet, “Emmanuel” is indeed a secondary […]
In Matthew 11 the disciples of John the Baptist confront Jesus wanting to know if he was “the one.” Was Jesus ‘it,’ or should they keep waiting for someone else? It’s an interesting encounter to say the least. The disciples of Jesus had barely figured out who Jesus really was, and here’s another man’s disciples who seem to have put two and two together. But, the deeper point here is that they were ‘waiting’ to […]
Kenda Creasy Dean’s book “Almost Christian” should send shivers down the spine of any person in America (and beyond) who cares about the Christian faith. Drawing from the data of the National Study on Youth and Religion (NYSR) Dean says that America’s youth aren’t opposed to Christianity and the Church at all. In fact they have fond feelings for it. But, that’s because they think that Christianity is about 1) being nice and 2) feeling […]
I don't have all the answers, I don't know if I'm on God's side or not, I'm just trying to muddle my way through - but all the while seeking truth and mercy.
(The following is an excerpt from a book I’m working on. Should be finished soon…) There’s a fantastic scene in the third chapter of the Gospel of Luke where we’re introduced to the wild-eyed prophet, John the Baptist. Crowds gathered around him wondered if he was the One who was sent by God to save them and the whole world. John greeted these curious onlookers who were coming to be baptized with these words: You […]
What’s that they say about ‘best laid plans?’ Months ago I had planned this Sunday as a ‘welcome back’ Sunday where we’d have all the kids in church, and have them come up and get involved in the sermon… There’d be a tear in every mother’s eye, and the fall program year would be kicked off successfully. And then a few weeks ago I checked the Gospel lesson of the day. Ooops. Nothing like telling […]
Imagine going to the store and buying a box of 100 crayons in preparation for your children going back to school. You bring your shopping home, you sling your bag of goods onto the table, and you take out the box of crayons. You open up the box of crayons… and there are only 99 of them. One has gone missing. You were sure that they were all there when you bought them. The crayons […]