Romans 8

Lutherans are trained to hear the scriptures as proclaiming either law or gospel. By "law" they mean not passages from the Old Testament but all of the Bible's bad news: the sins we commit, the misery we experience, the sorrows we inflict on one another, the death we anticipate, the distance from God that diminishes our lives. By "gospel" they mean not the final reading on Sunday morning but the good news of the mercy given by a loving God, wherever in the Bible it is proclaimed.

And what would happen if we didn't?

And what would happen if we didn't?

And what would happen if we didn't?

And what would happen if we didn't?

Theology and advertising share the same root.

Theology and advertising share the same root.

People do not float through life in the bubble that is their skin. We are grounded, dependent beings that live through the lives and deaths of others.

I’ve been thinking often over the last few days and weeks about the last three verses of the magnificent eighth chapter of Paul’s letter to the church in Rome.

Growing in prayer is not simply acquiring a set of special spiritual skills. It is growing into Christian humanity.

Preaching on biblical passages about labor and childbirth is important, but it's also dangerous.

Preaching on biblical passages about labor and childbirth is important, but it's also dangerous.

"It is by being in solidarity with sinners that Jesus brings about reconciliation. This is not a picture of Jesus that churches often emphasize."

The answer that comes out of a tornado is not the kind of answer we want.

The answer that comes out of a tornado is not the kind of answer we want.

Back in the dark ages of the 20^th century, I remember an ad for the Yellow Pages that urged, “Let your fingers do the walking.” Now that texting has become the preferred means of communication, it seems our fingers actually do the talking.

I’ve been thinking about the complexity of communication with God, especially the challenge of praying at times when words are hard to come by. In response to such a dilemma, Paul essentially tells the Romans to let the Spirit do the talking.

Gangs excel at finding the lost, adopting them and sending them out. Therefore, gang youth can be recruited for apostolic ministry.

Gangs excel at finding the lost, adopting them and sending them out. Therefore, gang youth can be recruited for apostolic ministry.