Easter Sunday – March 27, 2016
Luke 24:1-12 The preaching pressure of Easter is real. The pews are fuller, the faces less familiar, the music grander, the memories..
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Holy Week prayer
The news this week, dear God, the news. It is relentless. Bombs in airports and subways. No boundaries between combatants and innocents,..
Palm Sunday – March 20, 2016
Luke 19:28-40 I am going to focus on the text for Palm Sunday rather than those designated for Passion Sunday. It really..
The lesson of my fig tree
I am not a gardener, far from it. I do not have the patience nor the knowledge to make things grow. I..
5th Sunday of Lent – March 13, 2016
John 12:1-8 – Lent 5C Six days before Passover, Jesus is in Bethany with his close friends and disciples. Mary and Martha, Lazarus..
4th Sunday of Lent – March 6, 2016
Joshua 5:9-12; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 – Lent 4C Maybe you can go home again. Returning home wounded, even if..
Super Tuesday trumps Good Friday
As I write this on Wednesday, March 2, 2016, the results of Super Tuesday are in the books. Trump won – maybe..
What Holy Week means for the rest of the world
Who cares, really, about Holy Week? Not many of my kids’ friends. Most of my children’s closest friends have no faith affiliation..
3rd Sunday of Lent – February 28, 2016
Isaiah 55:1-9; Luke 13:1-9; Lent 3C I confess: This is not my favorite Bible passage. Jesus sends a mixed message. He says, “No..
2nd Sunday of Lent – February 21, 2016
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18; Luke 13:31-35 – Lent 2C This week we go to Luke 13:31-35 and this odd exchange between Jesus and..
The Presbyterian Challenge
"You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” — Buckminster..
1st Sunday in Lent – February 14, 2016
Luke 4:1-13; Lent 1C Jesus is in the wilderness again. Every year, Lent 1, the Spirit leads or drives Jesus, fresh out..
Which one of these things is not like other?
An Ash Wednesday meditation One of these things is not like the other, not like the other, not like the other. Is..
Transfiguration Sunday – February 7, 2016
Luke 9:28-36 Have you noticed how closely tied sleep and death are in the New Testament? This is especially true for the..
What’s right with our church?
A few months ago you might remember reading an article written by long-time Outlook friend and writer, Earl Johnson, titled, “What’s right..
4th Sunday in Ordinary Time – January 31, 2016
Jeremiah 1:4-10; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Luke 4:21-30 When last we left our hero, he was seated in front of an admiring crowd...
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – January 24, 2016
Nehemiah 8:1-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21 The first quandary to address this week is what to do about the parameters for..
Capturing the mystery
A little Catholic schooling goes a long way, particularly when the time spent there was during early, formative years. I spent first..
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – January 17, 2016
Isaiah 62:1-5; John 2:1-11 My middle child was recently exposed to another branch of Christendom’s view of marriage. The details of this..
Baptism of the Lord – January 10, 2016
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 On a recent Saturday morning I received this text: “Where do you stand on the Filioque?” Not exactly what..
Retirement
There are days I fantasize about it. Other days I dread the thought of it. Retirement. When deadlines loom and work stress..
2nd Sunday after Christmas – January 3, 2016
Jeremiah 31:7-14; Ephesians 1:3-14; John 1:1-18 These are three tour de force texts this Sunday. Any one of these readings could be..
A scene from 2015
I wanted my name in the book. I wanted his children to know that South Carolinians cared enough to come and pay..
1st Sunday after Christmas – December 27, 2105
1 Samuel 2:18-20; Luke 2:41-52 There are so many places I want to go with these texts, especially the one from Luke...
Faithful shepherds: A message for Christmas Eve
Christmas pageants have been a part of my Christmas celebrations for almost as long as I can remember. I can’t recall much..