Scripture
To forgive is exclusively divine
Ancient Israel’s war with Amalek is a lesson in repentance and covenant.
March 10, Lent 4B (Numbers 21:4–9; John 3:14–21)
When John 3 came up I used to preach on the dangers of fixating on one verse. Now I cringe at that memory.
Third spaces and more (John 2:13-22)
Churches often live in an uneasy relationship with their property.
March 3, Lent 3B (John 2:13–22)
Whatever Jesus is attacking, it isn’t the practices of the people coming to the temple to worship.
A lament psalm without lament (Psalm 22:23-31; Mark 8:31-38)
Lament psalms typically move to trust at some point, but reading only those verses feels strange in Lent.
February 25, Lent 2B (Mark 8:31–38)
What a roller coaster for the disciples: They are following the Messiah! And doing so will cost them everything.
Ashes together (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21)
Praying in community is often more powerful than praying “in secret.”
February 18, Lent 1B (Mark 1:9–15)
Does Jesus hide from the wild beasts? Hurl rocks at them? Mark doesn’t say.
Ignorant of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:3-6)
Sometimes it seems like the believers are the ones for whom the gospel is veiled.
February 14, Ash Wednesday (Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21)
How did my friend feel making a cross on my forehead, not knowing how long I’d be alive?
February 11, Transfiguration B (Mark 9:2–9)
What Peter, James, and John see on the mountain cannot be neatly packaged for resale.
The different people we are (1 Corinthians 9:16-23)
We are all like Paul, boasting to the Corinthian church about being all things to all people.
February 4, Epiphany 5 (1 Corinthians 9:16–23; Mark 1:29–39)
Paul knew something about being an obnoxious weirdo.
On never posting (1 Corinthians 8:1-13)
Food offered to idols is not really a live issue for us, but social media usage is.
The patron saint of in-between things
Having grown up as a Black-mixed kid, I can relate to Moses’ upbringing as not quite Hebrew and not quite Egyptian.
January 28, Epiphany 4B (Mark 1:21–28)
All those years in scribe school count for nothing when one rustic with charisma comes along!
When they actually listen (Jonah 3:1-5, 10)
There’s something that’s even stranger than being a prophet.
January 21, Epiphany 3B (Mark 1:14–20)
The gospels don’t depict John as much of an organization builder.
All things lawful (1 Corinthians 6:12-20)
Is it possible to read Paul as an early exponent of a wellness ethic for sexuality?