Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany (Year C, RCL)

We gave our readers a one-word writing prompt: "enemy."

Matthew 5:38–48

A retired colonel taught me about the courage it takes to love our enemies.

Karl Giberson offers a cultural history of the Bible's first human. It's an intriguing and unsettling story.

Perhaps the real lack of faith in modern society comes down to a lack of reverence for the people around us.

I was 29, agonizing over a decision, when I came upon a little book by Robert Ochs.

By far the most uncomfortable pastoral work I do is with people who want help for relatives in churches that are far away. I once got a call from one such relative who had been elected secretary of a church committee and wondered how she should minute the meeting. Worse are the complaints about pastors who do things I have done. (“My brother says they don’t sing hymns everyone knows. What can we do?”)

I don't usually write about preaching or about specific Revised Common Lectionary texts, since that's well covered elsewhere on the site by people more qualified than I. This is just a quick note motivated by the fact that this Sunday's Gospel reading is the subject of one of the more startling RCL factoids that came up when I was reporting my fall article on alternate lectionaries.

While Christian scholars have long questioned body-soul dualism, it remains common in church circles. This may finally be changing.

Each week my church includes a prayer for the families of American soldiers who have died. As the names are read, I try to hold them in prayer. But I have wrestled with these prayers.

Here are texts that say to the church: "You are holy."

Keeping score and getting even—that’s what enemies do.