Over the past few weeks, the Sunday Gospels have included some hard-hitting, at times difficult, teaching about sin, a focus which has also led to think more about sin in my new midweek series. Talking about sin is difficult, but even if we normalize talking about it and recognize that it's all around us, including … Continue reading Melchizedek: A Reflection on Hebrews 5.1-10
Last week, I wrote about what I see as a need to normalize sin without minimizing it. If we want to have better relationships with ourselves, creation, each other, and God, we need to be able to talk about the ways in which we harm those relationships, 'in thought, word, and deed,' 'by what we … Continue reading Debt and Forgiveness
Over the past few weeks, the Sunday Gospel readings have taken a turn. The late Summer's general theme of opening up our hearts and minds to others has transitioned to the challenging specifics of what that looks like in practice. So far we've had warnings not to trip other people up and to take responsibility … Continue reading Money Problems: A Reflection on Mark 10.17-31
I once worked with a woman who was, let's say, 'challenging' to be around. She was brusque and impatient, and never had a kind word to say about anyone. Every day at lunch, she told us stories of an estranged relative, an unreasonable neighbour, or a friend with whom she was on the outs. The … Continue reading On Normalizing Sin (Without Minimizing it)
In last week's Gospel reading, Jesus taught his disciples about scandals, or tripping points, and how we're responsible for how we react when we get tripped up. It's a variation on a common, and important, theme: that so much in life is not about what we experience but how we respond to it. I'd like … Continue reading How’s Your Heart? A Reflection on Mark 10.2-16
