Scripture
January 6, Epiphany (Matthew 2:1-12)
You rarely see a children’s pageant based on Matthew’s story of escape from a raging despot.
December 29, Christmas 1C (Luke 2:41-52)
Twelve years into this parenting gig, Mary knows there’s not much she can do to keep her son safe.
The wisdom of a kinswoman (Luke 1:39-55)
Mary’s first move is to set off to visit Elizabeth.
Did enslaved people write the New Testament?
Candida Moss argues that when early Christian texts were written, unpaid laborers were in the room where it happened.
Reading into the gaps
“Because certain scribal puns appear only in Galatians,” says Candida Moss, “we have to consider that they come from the secretary rather than Paul.”
December 24 and 25, Nativity (Luke 2:1-20)
When does tonight become tomorrow? Is it the first glint of daybreak? The first breath of the baby?
December 22, Advent 4C (Micah 5:2-5a; Luke 1:46b-55)
Is Matthew so embarrassed by Bethlehem’s lowly status in Micah that he feels the need to punch it up a little?
Joy Sunday and Blue Christmas (Zephaniah 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18)
The Advent 3 readings present an awkward tension.
December 15, Advent 3C (Luke 3:7-18)
I am struck by just how different my baptism prep process is from John the Baptist’s.
Unfinished business (Philippians 1:3-11)
Paul challenges us to consider what really matters.
December 8, Advent 2C (Baruch 5:1-9; Luke 1:68-79; Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6)
Being baptized requires becoming vulnerable to at least one other person.
The days are coming (Jeremiah 33:14-16)
We are surrounded by wastelands. God promises new life.
Music for the apocalypse
Growing up, I never understood the book of Revelation. Then I started listening to Black Sabbath.
December 1, Advent 1C (Luke 21:25-36)
If our faith cannot help us escape tribulations, then what should we do when we face them?
Audacious visions (Revelation 1:4b-8)
Harriet Tubman’s visions seemed, to her, to be glimpses of glory.
November 24, Reign of Christ B (John 18:33–37)
What does it mean to have Christ as a king?
Finding rest (Hebrews 10:11-25)
Even as we seek practical solutions to our problems, we cannot afford to abandon the beliefs and spiritual practices that undergird us.
November 17, Ordinary 33B Mark 13:1-8
Jesus tells the disciples a hard truth: nothing you see here is going to last.