After Jesus was crucified, Luke (24.13-35) tells us that two disciples were walking to Emmaus when a stranger began to walk alongside them. They looked sad as they spoke about all that had happened: Jesus’ ministry and judgment, the crucifixion and the resurrection. The stranger inquired about their conversation, perhaps wondering why they looked sad when their story appeared to …
Looking for Love
What happens when life doesn’t sync up with the seasons? When our world seems filled with joyful laughter and shiny things, and we just don’t feel shiny? Is it possible that the holy can be found both within the holiday mirth, and also within struggle? We are nearing the final week of Advent. Advent is a season of longing, of …
St. Francis: To Walk in Jesus’ Footsteps
Let me start by admitting that I know little about our selection for this week’s saint: St. Francis of Assisi. I have an image of him, but I think I get him confused with Snow White. But as I read the Wikipedia article on him, I found some bits of information tucked away in the recesses of my shabby memory. …
The Great Reversal (Program and Recap)
Program Good conversation last Sunday. Bonus points to Sarah for saying that transformation starts with hope. I’m always blessed by the wisdom of the gathering. I did want to comment on one part of the conversation. In talking about a larger, cosmic battleground in Luke, we stumbled upon questions of interreligious dialogue. It’s a question that bedevils those who are …
The Great Reversal
Long before I came to Church in the Cliff or went to seminary and was exposed to the liturgical calendar, I received a covert education on it. Living in New Orleans, one is immersed in the flow of that calendar. The already low productivity in the Big Lazy drops even more after Thanksgiving. Holiday parties and ski vacations for those …
The Baptism of Jesus (Program)
A little behind, as always, but here is the program from last Sunday. For our response, we did a remembrance of baptism with the blessing: “May the Holy Spirit work within you.”
The Baptism of Jesus
In the Epiphany, we considered the identity of Jesus. However, we only really considered it through the eyes of others. Every child is born with expectations, but perhaps none more than Jesus. I mean, my dad wanted me to be good at golf, but he didn’t have angels singing to him about it. The reality is that none of us …
Mark: The Beginning
For churches that follow the lectionary, this is the year of Mark. The lectionary years are designated A, B, and C, which correspond to following the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, respectively. So this is Year B, the year to read Mark. The purpose of the lectionary is to give people a complete view of the Bible every three …
What I Meant to Say Was…
On Sunday, I was highly critical of Robert Jeffress, the pastor of First Baptist Dallas, as well as others of his ilk that are famous for their criticism of homosexuality. You can read my comments here, but the main point was that any ethical stance must risk something. This follows from Jesus’ claim in John 15:13: “No one has greater …
Travel as a Spiritual Practice
In much of the Hebrew Scriptures God is on the move. Literally. God could erupt anywhere and people marked the spot as best they could, like Jacob positioning and anointing the stone after his radical dream of a stairway to Heaven. Before the temple in Jerusalem, Yahweh camped out with people who were also on the move, and Moses would …
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