Scripture
My double vision
I like to think Jesus gives the blind man in Mark 8 vision of another kind: to see past the limits of human sight.
January 14, Epiphany 2B (John 1:43–51)
Jesus’ word of insight to Nathanael seems a lot like a carnival grift.
Were the lost gospels really lost?
The myth that alternative gospels were suppressed by empire and only recently rediscovered is too good to be true.
The magi and their epiphany (Isaiah 60:1-6; Matthew 2:1-12)
Do they later say to their friends, “How could we not have known?”
January 7, Baptism of the Lord B (Mark 1:4–11)
As if he were working on an assembly line, John dips and raises, dips and raises.
Wisdom and favor (Luke 2:22-40)
The hymns of Mary, Zechariah, and Simeon reflect the worship material of early Christians.
January 6, Epiphany (Matthew 2:1–12)
In welcoming the Magi into her home, Mary opens the door to the whole world.
December 31, Christmas 1B (Isaiah 61:10–62:3; Psalm 148; Galatians 4:4–7; Luke 2:22–40)
Simeon and Anna echo the worship material of ancient Israel.
The light of hope for refugees (Isaiah 9:2-7; Luke 2:1-20)
Mary and Joseph must have felt dejected and homeless.
Baser things and better things (Luke 1:26-38)
The annunciation is a story about a woman bearing forth the better things from the baser.
December 24/25, Nativity of the Lord (Isaiah 9:2–7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11–14; Luke 2:1–20)
The God of exiles, refugees, and migrants still shines light amid today’s present darkness.
In the Hebrew Bible, love is complex
Song-Mi Suzie Park shows that ahav is dense, powerful, political, and divine.
December 24, Advent 4B (Luke 1:26–38)
The traditional annunciation story bothers me even more than the word handmaid.
John the avant-garde (John 1:6-8, 19-28)
John the Baptist had no chance at being ordinary—but he takes his outlier status to new heights all on his own.
A Job who’s read Job
Poet Michael Shewmaker imagines a suffering Christian in Kilgore, Texas, with three unhelpful friends.
Mary’s special child and mine
I probably shouldn’t treat my own son like he’s the Messiah. Imagine the pressure.
December 17, Advent 3 (John 1:6–8, 19–28)
In the wilderness, trying to find joy can be like trying to make a fire with wet matches.
The eerie call of John the Baptist
His followers realized there was no quick exit from the discomfort of his words.