The Upside-Down Way
Jesus turns the usual ways of the world—the standards by which we have learned to order our lives—upside down. We have been taught competition over cooperation, revenge over reconciliation, leading over following, enhancing our importance over humbly submitting to one another. When we attend a function, we have learned to scan the room and find […]
Body and Spirit
When I was younger, I noticed how people a lot older than me talked a lot about their health, mainly their aches and pains and the next doctor’s visit or medical procedure. Now at a more advanced age, I am doing the same thing! Mercy. But it sure has me reflecting on the body’s amazing […]
The Burning
I’ve come to start a fire… —Luke 12:49-56, The Message In the days when a hearth fire kept the family alive, our ancestors learned to bank the fire before they went to sleep, pushing the logs and coals together to preserve the slow burning. It was important to keep it smoldering through the night, ready to […]
Living Lightly
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus urges the crowd to be ready, painting a beautiful picture of the blessings that await those who are prepared for God to show up at unexpected moments.* This exhortation comes immediately after Jesus encourages people to get rid of all their stuff. Though these are framed as separate vignettes in […]
