Scripture
September 14, Ordinary 24C (Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28; Psalm 14)
Hope where all appears hopeless: that’s where God is.
Jesus makes it hard to be a Christian (Luke 14:25-33)
The problem many preachers face when trying to preach without fear or favor is Jesus himself.
Guestability
Churches tend to equate the notion of inclusion with hospitality. Peter and Cornelius suggest a more nuanced definition.
September 7, Ordinary 23C (Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18)
My mother taught me what the Psalmist knew well—that a human being is one continuous interrogative prayer.
Understanding idolatry (Jeremiah 2:4-13)
Jeremiah’s message for Judah cuts deeper than our petty loyalties.
The word outlasts the throne
Kings fall, tyrants pass, and hope endures in the prophets’ vision of God’s story.
The morality of Jesus reinterpreted
Writing primarily for post-evangelicals, ethicist David Gushee examines 40 biblical texts.
Noah gets drunk. Then he curses Ham.
How on earth did this odd little biblical tale get twisted into a justification for chattel slavery?
August 31, Ordinary 22C (Luke 14:1, 7-14)
Jesus is clear: Hosts should invite only those who cannot reciprocate.
The hand of the wicked (Psalm 71:1-6)
Enemies are quite common in the Psalms, sometimes with deadly intent.
August 24, Ordinary 21C (Jeremiah 1:4-10)
Sensing danger does not alone a prophet make.
Isaiah’s challenge (Isaiah 5:1-7)
God’s indictment of ancient Israel raises hard questions for Christian readers today.
August 17, Ordinary 20C (Luke 12:49-56)
Luke usually tones down the apocalyptic intensity we encounter in Matthew and Mark. Not here.
Things unseen (Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16)
There is much more to Hebrews 11 than a definition of faith and a litany of Bible stories.
Practicing gratitude in hard times (Psalm 107)
Sometimes celebratory texts like Psalm 107 are as difficult as the binding of Isaac.