11-3-19 Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 “Call and Response” Habakkuk begins with a cry for aid, a cry for true justice, in the midst of a situation in which the wicked have perverted justice. After detailing the injustice, a main feature of which is violence and worshiping “might,” the prophet proclaims his intention to wait and watch […]
10-27-19 Lk 23:32-43 “Remember Me” (In conversation with Jack Keijo Steele painting) How do we see Jesus’ crucifixion, and what difference does perspective make? What might it mean to look to the crucifixion from the context and perspective of others who have suffered and are suffering? What about the perspectives of our own suffering? How […]
10-20-19 Mt 26:69-75 “I Do Not Know the Man” (In conversation with Jack Keijo Steele painting) Peter denied Jesus, not once, but thrice, even after protesting that denying Jesus was something he could never do. What led to Peter’s denials? How can we examine Peter’s story and understand our own shared struggles to claim and […]
10-13-19 Mt 11:28-30 “Come to Me” (In conversation with Jack Keijo Steele painting) Who came to Jesus, and what did they seek? How do we come to Jesus today? What does it mean for us to be a part of his ministry as his disciples? How do we respond with love and care to the […]
10-6-19 Psalm 137 “Babies and Babylon” Psalm 137 has been memorialized in song more than a few times, perhaps at least two of those pieces are songs we’ve heard: Don Mclean’s version and Boney M’s version. What we don’t usually hear are verses 8 and 9. They are horrific because they arise from the deep […]
9-29-19 Luke 16:19-31 “Begging and Chasms” Why is it that when I have a need it feels real, honest, and justified, but when someone else has a need, it seems made up, untrue, and out of line? How can the rich man in this parable not see the chasm that he maintained between himself and […]
9-22-19 1 Timothy 2:1-7 “Wanting What God Wants” Pray for everyone. EVERYONE. Pray for their wellbeing. Thank God for them. God wills salvation for them (see 1 Tim 2:4 esp. KJV). Christ gave himself for ALL. This is what we read in 1 Timothy 2:1-7. But that’s way easier to say than to do, even, […]
9-15-19 Luke 15:1-10 “Finding the One” Is our faith exclusive? Do we look out from our “insiders” position and judge those who, for whatever reason, we might call “sinners,” somehow supposing that we are without sin, and those outside our faith tradition are somehow less important that we are? Jesus, through two parables – about […]
9-8-19 Luke 14:25-33 “Counting the Cost” Christianity includes crosses, and not just the gold ones we wear around our necks. Jesus tells the crowds that discipleship is about commitment and comes with costs. How do we consider and acknowledge the costs and commitments that come with discipleship? What would it mean to live our lives […]
9-1-19 Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 “Philadelphia Freedom” Hebrews ends with encouragement and instructions – including exhortation to live in “philadephia” – translated as “mutual love” by the NRSV. Sometimes it seems like lists of instructions about behavior and community life are restrictive, overbearing, and, frankly, designed to make us feel trapped. The gospel offers us freedom, […]