Psalm 137 shows grief and humiliation at its most raw. It reminds us always to remember the choice to be kind, or not, and the consequences of exercising our power…
In this somewhat idealized vision of the early church, we see what the Holy Spirit can do when the church is trying to build something together. In the midst of…
Entering Holy Week, Jesus is up all night struggling to face our final fear: certain death. What do we discover about ourselves in his anxious hours?
The work of reconciliation begins with recognizing the discomfort that comes from recognizing that the stories we have told ourselves about the world, and ourselves, do not match up with…
The Psalmist reminds us that the first step toward reconciliation and the work of building God's world together is repenting of our sin. In America, to build the nation we…
When Bartimaeus calls out "Jesus, son of David, have mercy!", he understands Jesus better than the disciples. He then asks Jesus to help him see. He understands why he is…
Jesus tells us to welcome children in our midst, and also to learn from their minds and examples. What are their lessons?
One striking part of Jesus's ministry was the way he refused to show the fullness of who he was before the time was ripe. Perhaps he did not want people…
In the midst of darkness, when we receive joy, we are called to share it. Maybe it will change someone else's life the way Mary changed Elizabeth's life!
The peace of Christ is not passive. It is not the absence of active conflict. It is the reconciliation of conflicts within ourselves, with each other, and with God, with…
Like with the Israelites in the desert, sometimes we need to recognize Manna from heaven and just say, "thanks."
The Book of Eccelsiastes contains some difficult-to-understand sentiments, often dealing with the pointlessness of much human endeavor. In this passage, though, we see the underlying argument--what is our role on…
Jonah is filled with righteous anger than Ninevah has not been destroyed. It's a reminder that our hate and anger and clouded sense of justice does not match God's.
Jonah finally answers God's call. And the Ninevites...listen? What does that mean for us?
We are in the belly of the whale, with Covid-19 hemming us in and draining us of hope and opportunity (and college sports). Jonah, and Jonah's author, have some lessons…
Through a mirror, dimly, we see the world. So often, our reactions to others are reflections of how we see ourselves. Paul reminds us that we need to grow into…
Paul complaining about division in Christianity is a little funny to careful readers, but his warning to avoid tribalism in our thinking is sound.
In the culmination of three weeks where we asked, "What Next?" we see that, empowered by the holy spirit, disciples like we can step outside our comfort zones and heal…
