Holding the Hot Potato
When Jesus told parables, he often avoided straightforward hero/villain figures. The prodigal son and his brother, the shrewd manager, the unjust judge — Jesus generally gives us surprisingly complex characters to wrestle with in his short stories. But the unforgiving debtor: obviously a bad guy.* He receives the mercy of the king, and then turns […]
Sword of Subtraction
A friend asked me to ponder the question, “What is shaping me?” Then put it another way, “What does a resurrection-shaped life look like?” I find these questions difficult because I realize so much is beyond my control. More and more, I am in new, often unwelcome, territory. Beloved ones die. Health issues increase. Years of comfortable ways of connecting in […]
Spirit of Truth
This Spring, glorious as it is, I often seem to be stuck in sad emotions and the inability to move forward in making decisions about the future. I awaken each day with a practice of remembering my identity as a beloved child of God, intending to stay conscious of the “we-ness” of approaching each moment. Yet I […]
Can Judas Be Saved? – Apr. 6, 2023
“Is Judas the betrayer of Jesus also the unbeliever who sells his soul for thirty pieces of silver? Is the sudden and tragic death of Judas by his own hand a just punishment for his sin of unbelief? Does Judas forget all that belonged to him as a follower and disciple of Jesus through that single act? […]
