~ Luke 9:51-62/2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 ~ Oh, the hubris! Oh, the excess! Oh, the debauchery! What are we talking about? Celebrating Pride! A supposed progressive, LGBTQ ally, it appears, is grossed out by the excesses of Pride celebrations. We’re talking the parade with its outrageous costumes and performances; we’re … Read More
Artwork: The Trinity, Andrei Rublev, 14th cent. As I move toward retirement at the end of the summer I’m faced with a big dilemma – I don’t quite know what to do with all my books. I’ve been collecting and reading these books for 50+ years. Now, many of them … Read More
~ Acts 2:1-13/John 14:15-17, 25-27 ~ How does the Holy Spirit manifest herself? If you’re in the Pentecostal tradition you’d take your cues from this passage from Acts with its talk of wind and flames resulting in a palpably felt experience of ecstatic speaking, physical trembling, and the like. Or … Read More
~ John 17:6-26 ~ Scandals, divisions, splits, fights, even wars – the church is in shambles! Christianity is a mess! Unity? What a joke. The Southern Baptists are reeling from a devastating report of ongoing sexual abuse and coverups. The United Methodists are well on their way to splitting in … Read More
Photo: The Ancient of Days, William Blake (1794) ~ Psalm 148/John 20:31-35 ~ Psalm 148 is a psalm of praise. ‘Praise’ is used thirteen times in this psalm. The Psalmist calls on everything to give God praise: Men and women, young and old, fire and storms, mountains and trees, and … Read More
~ Psalm 23 / John 10:22 – 30 ~ It was winter, the gospel writer says. Maybe on this particular day it is especially cold and windy as Jesus walks the colonnade of Solomon’s porch. And maybe feeling already irritable from the cold Jesus grimaces as he sees them approach. … Read More