Monday, September 23, 2019 | Reflections
No matter how earnestly a person believes the world is flat, if that person keeps moving in the same direction, he or she will eventually arrive back where he or she started. Willful ignorance is always upended by truth—this is the nature of reality. I think sin works...
Sunday, September 22, 2019 | Reflections
One of my seminary classmates and I went on a pilgrimage to visit Marian shrines in the United States. We camped for a night along Lake Michigan. As we made our way to the beach, we followed a stream lined by tall trees that cast dark shadows against the brilliant...
Saturday, September 21, 2019 | Reflections
Once upon a time, two downtown churches in a large urban center each had a ministry with unhoused individuals. At the first church, participants were invited into a space that had been converted for this ministry. Church members and volunteers served food from behind...
Friday, September 20, 2019 | Reflections
On a fishing trip several years ago, I decided to cross a stream to retrieve a snagged lure. What had appeared a benevolent stream was a deceptively fast-running torrent—I feared my waders would be swamped. I knew if that happened, I would be pulled down and out to...
Thursday, September 19, 2019 | Reflections
The Beatitudes are some of Jesus’ most inspiring words, and they are recorded for us in Matthew and Luke. What Luke records [or writes] as merely “the poor,” Matthew adds the qualifier “in spirit.” Having encountered endemic poverty, I have come t….(View this...
Wednesday, September 18, 2019 | Reflections
Today is the first of three Ember Days this week (Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday). Ember Days fall once in each season and are observed by clergy as days of fasting and prayer, a time for deep reflection on their vocation. Ember Days are also the appointed times for...
Tuesday, September 17, 2019 | Reflections
On the day they crucify Jesus, his limp body hanging on the cross, his followers hide—afraid for their lives as they recall the cries of the crowd: Crucify him! The regular folks who have gathered to watch the killing seem convinced that Jesus’ teachings are...
Monday, September 16, 2019 | Reflections
Years ago, I overheard a conversation between two engineers, one a Christian and the other, an Animist. The Christian asked, “Do you really believe that spirits live in rocks and trees and rivers and such?” The Animist asked, “Do you really believe that a man was...
Sunday, September 15, 2019 | Reflections
When I started going to church and preparing for baptism, my wife told me, “Whatever you do, don’t come back later and tell me you want to be a priest!” A few years later, I spent a long day working up the courage to tell my wife I thought I was being called to...
Saturday, September 14, 2019 | Reflections
Jesus’ ministry is invitational, not coercive. He responds to the faith of those who seek him with healing and wholeness—he does not demand their obeisance or obedience. Jesus reserves his sharpest words for those who impose barriers on loving responses to the world’s...
Friday, September 13, 2019 | Reflections
What the psalmist means by “safe” probably isn’t the same as our notion of it. We like to snuggle into our safe life, one without tremendous risk of injury (physical or emotional). We pray for our loved ones to be safe from all harm. But following Jes….(View...
Thursday, September 12, 2019 | Reflections
Every generation is confronted with the tension between short-term gains and God’s long-term plan, between the will to power and the will to love. Today, we see Ahab turn his back on God to worship another god, Baal, because doing so represents the path of least...
Wednesday, September 11, 2019 | Reflections
We live in a world that is, in some very real ways, infected by evil. From genocides and wars to racism and other forms of discrimination, evil snakes in and around us in insidious, awful ways. But thanks be to Jesus, we do not have to be slaves to evil...
Tuesday, September 10, 2019 | Reflections
The first time I really looked into my spouse’s eyes, I was smitten. I wanted to ask for a kiss, but I was too afraid. We are often more frightened by the possibility of something good happening than the certainty of something bad. It’s the same feeling that leads us...
Monday, September 9, 2019 | Reflections
At a certain point in my life, I came to realize that being wholly responsible for myself was not working out. I was broken, and the weight of my brokenness was overwhelming. Though my physical health was sound, I was in need of healing. I suspect that...
