Epiphany

One of the most common debates among committed Christians over the centuries has been the relative importance of personal piety versus acts of compassion. It’s played out on a lot of fronts: The action versus contemplation debate in monastic circles, the faith versus works debate of the Reformation era, and in the present attacks today … Continue reading Happy Are Those… : A Reflection on Psalm 112

[I originally wrote this post three years ago, the last time these readings came up in the lectionary, and it was still the message that was on my heart for them. If you'd like a more focused discussion of the Beatitudes, please see my two posts on them from the Back to Basics series, here … Continue reading What God Requires of Us: A Reflection on Micah 6.1-8 and Matthew 5.1-12 [Re-Post]

Last week, we saw how the departure of some of John the Baptist’s disciples to follow Jesus was not a rejection of John’s ministry, but its fulfillment, and how, as followers of Jesus we too much point to him through our thoughts, words, and actions. Today’s readings bring our attention to the second half of … Continue reading The Ups and Downs of Fishing: A Reflection on Matthew 4.12-23

John the Baptist, or John the Forerunner in the Eastern traditions, is an interesting figure. So important a figure was he in the early first century that a religious sect formed around him that lasts to our own day, and our Christian Gospels felt the need to dedicate a significant amount of valuable page space … Continue reading Mission Accomplished: A Reflection on John 1.29-42