When the Friend Comes
“There is so much to say, but you just won’t understand it now.”* Like talking to a child about growing old, there are no tools with which to work. It cannot be taught. Only lived. Jesus knows that his time is short. His bewildered friends listen as he promises not to leave them as orphans… […]
Pentecostal Truth
Pentecost is a highly revered day of great celebration. The Hebrew scriptures cite Pentecost as an annual Jewish celebration of harvest, fifty days after the first-fruits of the field. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, that feast day was the day the promised Spirit of Truth filled the disciples. This time, Pentecost came with fire and […]
Called to Community
Today’s reading* is the culmination in the Gospel of John of Jesus’ final words to his followers the night before his crucifixion. The mystical language of oneness here is dizzying but the message is clear: Jesus calls us to a life together that realizes our God-giftedness and our God-connection and our God-inspired vocation to be […]
Thin Places
This week, a friend retired after 25 years in one academic institution. She was ready, and yet weepy when the last boxes of books went into the car. It was the end of her work there. It was also the end of her identity as a seminary professor: those books were left behind. Surprised by […]