13th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A, RCL)

We pastors are not likely to encounter Jephthah. But we might encounter someone like the young man who sought me out after a stint in jail.

Some thoughts on preaching the binding of Isaac.

Could Abraham know that God is testing him?

These Gospel stories can seem so familiar. But sit with the disciples in the little wooden boat, and Jesus' power will render you speechless.

Violence. Danger. Fear. Trust. Betrayal. Salvation. Ethics. They're all invoked in the story of the binding of Isaac. Here are a couple different points of entry into this difficult passage.

Obedience to God must be rooted in ethics.

The only rewards that matter can’t be earned.

We are still free to choose whose slaves we will be.

In my youth I thought: God asked what of Abraham? Is this the God who I am supposed to worship?