As Jesus famously said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will also be” (Matthew 6.21). In other words, we will all follow the thing that is really the most important to us. We all have the hill we’ll die on, the bridge we’d rather burn than cross. We are generally happy to live and … Continue reading A God of Freedom: A Reflection on Acts 16.16-34
Sometimes I feel like a broken record here. But to my defense, Jesus’ teachings are for the most part pretty straight forward and variations on a few themes. We’re just not very good at embodying them. But, at the risk of repeating myself, one of the strangest and most frightening trends in contemporary Christianity is … Continue reading A Gift of Peace: A Reflection on John 14:23-29
The other week, we peaked behind the apocalyptic veil of the Book of Revelation and saw how the anticipated Lion of Judah was in fact ‘the Lamb-Who-Was-Slain’, who alone was able unseal the heavenly scroll. In less symbolic language, it was saying that it was the nonviolent offering up his own life is what made … Continue reading Limitless: A Reflection on Revelation 21.1-6
This past fall, I did a whole series on the Sermon on the Mount, a large section of ethical teaching stretching from Matthew 5-7. In the Gospel according to Luke, this material is condensed into just about twenty verses, with 6.20-26 covering the Beatitudes and today’s reading, 6.27-38, covering the rest in a rapid-fire barrage … Continue reading In Summary: A Brief Reflection on Luke 6.27-38
The lectionary this time of year can often feel a bit all over the place. This is because there are two calendars that overlay each other: the ‘normal’ seasonal calendar, in which we’re in the fourth Sunday after Epiphany, and the festal calendar based on the timing of events in Jesus’ life. And so while … Continue reading A Sword to the Soul: A Reflection on Luke 2.22-40
