When I lived near the ocean, I always enjoyed driving the road that ran along the shore. On a clear morning, I would ponder the blue ocean and the spray of...

Thomas sees and believes. The author addresses this letter to Christians who have not seen and yet believe. These believers find themselves in crisis; their acceptance of Christ makes them exiles....

Enough is as good as a feast.” Thus says Mary Poppins, ever the arbiter of wisdom. The children in her care want more, as children tend to do—as most of us...

No wonder Thomas is ticked. No wonder he stubbornly announces that he won’t believe a word unless he can see and touch Christ’s wounds for himself. He has missed out on...

The disciples cower behind locked doors, frightened and, I imagine, ashamed. They have failed their prophet, their teacher, their leader, their friend. If the tomb truly is empty and Jesus is...

When reading the psalms, I tend to hurry through the harsh parts. I linger on the psalmist’s intimate expressions of faith and doubt but avoid the vitriol spoken against the psalmist’s...

Peter speaks these fiery words on Pentecost Day, but the theme of his address is pure Easter. The message Peter and his fellow apostles have for the Israelites (and, in good...

Mary Magdalene had a passion for Jesus’ ministry. It all started when Jesus cast seven demons out of her (see Luke 8:2). But it did not stop there. The Gospels of...

What Joseph of Arimathea did was a prelude to Jesus’ resurrection. He acted contrary to the customs of his day that said that the bodies of crucified persons were to be...

As a pastor for more than sixty years, I have been present with a large number of congregants who have experienced the death of a loved one. It was not uncommon...