Straight Talk
For Sunday, June 22, 2014 – Matthew 10:24-39 Jesus tells it to us straight, even when he delivers it slant. In these riddle-like passages, Jesus plays with language, and with us. We are not fluent in his native tongue, so he teaches a full immersion course, submerging us into his way of listening and learning, challenging us to discover sense […]
Continuing to Doubt
For Sunday, June 15, 2014 – Matthew 28:16-20 Doesn’t it give you heart to know that, even with all they have come through, and all that Jesus has done to assure them of who he is, some of the disciples continued to struggle with doubt? Even after following him for years, learning from him, witnessing miracles of healing and resurrection, even […]
Sent to Forgive
For Sunday, June 8, 2014 – John 20:19-23 Compared to the raucous outpouring of the Spirit upon the people of many lands and languages, as described in the book of Acts, this baptism is a good bit quieter. Here we meet the Spirit that slips in beside us when we are crouching in the desert of great loss, when […]
To Do What Is Ours to Do
For Sunday, June 1, 2014 – John 17:1-11 The Westminster Shorter Catechism of 1647 states succinctly that our “chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy God forever.” With everything else going on in our lives, so many people and activities vying for our attention and energy, where does “glorifying and enjoying God” fit in? What does it mean, anyway, […]