Matthew 5: 27 – 37You have heard that it was said, looks at ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; … Continue reading Telling God’s Story with Our Lives
Tag: Jesus
An Old Fashioned Altar Call
An Epiphany! I love it when I get to have an epiphany! It is like the moment when, in your head, pops the word you need to finish the crossword puzzle but 100 times better because it isn’t only an answer you find but God. Of course, it is the wrong season for Epiphany. Today is … Continue reading An Old Fashioned Altar Call
What are you waiting for?
What are you waiting for? This rhetorical question is often used to get us moving and doing. But that’s not the intent today. Our Psalm proclaims “I will wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope…my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more … Continue reading What are you waiting for?
Change Your World
The Bible never depicts this world as being fair but it does show us a way through the trouble. A very Jewish tale is told in Mark 6: 17 – 29. In summary, Herod divorces his first wife to marry Herodias. John the Baptists suggests that this is not a good idea. His advice angers … Continue reading Change Your World
Speaking Jesus
Christianity certainly has a rich back story found in the Hebrew scriptures. But today I’m more interested in the “after story,” what happens when the final scene has ended. The gospel of John tells the story of Jesus but is written long after Jesus died; long after the resurrection encounters. Yet, despite John being the … Continue reading Speaking Jesus
An Easter Call
Easter morning—He is Risen!—He is Risen, Indeed! Sin and Salvation Jonathan Edwards shouts out We are sinners in the hands of an angry God Look what we have done To ourselves Our neighbors Our nation Our world Our God Look at what we haven’t done For ourselves Our neighbors Our nation Our world Our God … Continue reading An Easter Call
Far and Wide
In seminary at Yale Divinity School I was awed to find myself in a vast landscape--that of the Christian witness spoken through the centuries. My perspective, having grown up in the Southern California United Church of Christ, was limited by comparison. I realized I had only seen faith from one small corner of scholarship in … Continue reading Far and Wide
Faith of Jesus
One of the seasons of the Way--the earliest name given to Christianity--is Lent. The season’s beginning is marked with a worship service known as Ash Wednesday. As the name suggests, ashes are central to the imagery and the ritual where the sign of the cross, put on the forehead with ashes, is a sign of … Continue reading Faith of Jesus
In the Care of Angels
I’ve always been skeptical about talk of angels. When the popular television show “Touched by an Angel” aired some time ago, I found myself avoiding it. Angels are too often used to sentimentalize Christianity. The Way becomes a set of grandmotherly clichés about how to live a wholesome life. And yet, as I read scripture, … Continue reading In the Care of Angels
Life-giving Transformation
Before Jesus begins his ministry, people from all over Judea go out to the wilderness to John the Baptist. There they hear John’s message to “repent,” to turn toward a new direction, and receive a baptism for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 3: 1- 6, Mark 1: 2 -6, Luke 3: 1-6, John 1: 19-23). … Continue reading Life-giving Transformation
