1 Peter

What exactly qualifies as a fiery ordeal?

The Areopagus--the former location of the Athenian equivalent of the Roman senate--was a center of civic life. The name comes from "Ares," the Greek god of war, and "pagos," which means "hill" or "rock." The Roman equivalent of Ares is Mars, hence the translation sometimes used: the Mars Hill.

1 Peter says we should always be ready to give a reason for hope. Always?

Sometimes I’m watching TV news and reach the point where I cannot take in all the violence and destruction. So I turn off the television and try to get involved in something that will take my mind off the news. God, however, does not have that option. God does not have a remote control to change the channels. God cannot move to the suburbs or close a door to hide from the violence. God’s eyes are not averted. God’s heart is not numbed.

On the walk to Emmaus, Jesus is first recognized as an alien.

I kept losing track of what I was going to say next. Yet it may have been my best sermon.

Again and again in scripture, pounding hearts become burning hearts.

As a seminarian, I never seemed to be there when Jesus arrived.