2 Samuel 7:1-14a; Ephesians 2:11-22; Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 Ordinary 16B; Proper 11 God is on the move. Jesus is traveling by sea and land. The Holy Spirit blows where it wills. Once you were aliens and strangers, now you are incorporated into the covenant community. The divine doesn’t hunker down and doesn’t allow us to remain sedentary, either. Like those timers that buzz on your Fitbit or iPhone or computer (you know, the ones that remind you to get up and move), God seems to prod us, refusing to let us get too comfortable where we are. The king may be settled, but God tells Nathan, “I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt.” It is almost like God gets the word to King David: “Do you really think I have time to settle down and relax?! Have you looked around lately? There is work to be done! Furthermore, do you remember where you came from and where I’ve been with you? Why would you think I’d want to retire to temple when I … [Read more...]
The visible signs of Christian faith (Aug. 19, 2018)
UNIFORM LESSON FOR August 19, 2018 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Romans 12:9-21 Christian theologians are challenged to connect their theology to the lived experience of believers. We should all be grateful for the many pastors and teachers whose ability to bridge the distance between theological reflection and the realities of daily life help the followers of Jesus lead lives of faithful discipleship. The cynical comment that theologians go down the deepest and come up the muddiest reflects an all-too-common attitude of pragmatic activists who prefer doing to thinking. Even the followers of John Calvin are not exempt from the temptation to minimize the theological basis for ministry. That theological base must be connected to the real world in which believers live every day. No book in the Bible is more explicitly theological than the epistle to the Romans. Its first 11 chapters contain Paul’s most profound theological principles. That is why the first verse of chapter … [Read more...]
Christ-like giving (Aug. 12, 2018)
UNIFORM LESSON FOR August 12, 2018 Scripture passage and lesson focus: 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 Most people are familiar with fundraising letters that have been carefully crafted to persuade the persons who receive them to make a donation. Professional fundraisers know that no matter how sophisticated their donor research has been, only a small percentage of those letters will result in a gift. Therefore, they typically send thousands of requests for money in the hope of meeting their goal. Political fundraisers send written appeals and numerous email requests for financial support. Churches also depend on contributions they solicit from faithful members. By basing their appeal on a shared commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the ministry of the congregation, they get a much higher positive response than the mass mailings aimed at the general public. The results of the annual stewardship drive are eagerly awaited by the budget committee and the leaders of the … [Read more...]
God’s justice (Aug. 5, 2018)
UNIFORM LESSON FOR August 5, 2018 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Romans 2:1-16 The focus of our Bible study shifts from passages in the Gospels about the justice Jesus taught to the justice the apostle Paul describes in his letter to the Romans. That letter is reliably dated to 55 or 56 A.D., approximately 25 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus but 25-35 years before the Gospels were written. Understanding the letters of Paul nearly 2,000 years after they were written is a challenging task. Paul, a Pharisaic Jew whose allegiance to Jesus came about as the result of a life-redirecting encounter with the resurrected Jesus on the Damascus road, wrote theologically profound but also very practical letters to new congregations that were inventing what would develop into Christianity. The letter to the Romans was written to a congregation Paul had not established but hoped to visit. It constitutes a carefully argued statement of the gospel Paul preached for some 20 … [Read more...]
8th Sunday after Pentecost — July 15, 2018
2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19; Mark 6:14-29 Ordinary 15B; Proper 10 For a Gospel into that whole brevity thing, Mark devotes a lot of space to the account of John the Baptist’s death. There is no birth narrative in Mark. Mark begins with (wait for it…) John the Baptist. Jesus’ baptism and temptation are allotted five verses total. The account of Jesus’ rejection in Mark’s Gospel leaves out copious details found in Luke. We don’t even get the story of the resurrection in Mark’s compact recording of the life and death of Jesus. And yet, the writer of Mark gives a 16-verse rendering of John the Baptist’s beheading by Herod. What’s so important to Mark in this gruesome story in which there are no good actors, save the one whose head ends up on a platter? I don’t think this is a mere morality tale about power and its abuse, although that’s in there. Nor do I think Mark relishes the horror for horror’s sake, although the writer of the Gospel does not spare the disturbing details. … [Read more...]
7th Sunday after Pentecost — July 8, 2018
Mark 6:1-13 Ordinary 14B; Proper 9 Jesus’ instructions to his disciples in Mark’s Gospel remind me of a packing list for camp. Campers should bring: flashlight, sunscreen, bug spray, toothbrush, rain poncho, flip flops, tennis shoes, swimsuit, enough shorts and T-shirts for a week, towels, toiletries. Be sure to pack a jacket or sweatshirt, as it may get cold in the evenings. What to leave at home: cell phone, electronics, pocket knives, money. Items to be sure to bring and those to be sure to leave indicate the nature of the activities and the kind of community that will define camp. Practicality wins the day, with comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing that allows the wearer to move freely without worrying about getting dirty. Cell phones, computers and the like are prohibited: too distracting. Campers must be able to focus on the tasks and people at hand. Money isn’t necessary, serving as a hindrance to keep track of rather than a means to acquire goods. Everything that … [Read more...]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 86
- Next Page »
Tweet With Us
Be A Facebook Fan
Our World in Photos
Pin With Us