“Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” That must have sounded like great news. The scripture was coming true. Surely that meant the Messiah was coming. The people would...

God calls us to love one another. That’s what Paul is saying to the Corinthians and to us! We think, That’s really hard. How can I love her? I don’t even...

One little-noted event during the bleak time between January 6 and the beginning of Lent is the story of Jesus’ baptism. And that reminds us of the act of remembering our...

As I write in the summer of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic is at its height. People are getting sick. People are dying. People are losing their jobs. The economy is going...

God calls us to be responsible citizens. Jeremiah’s call included being overwhelmed by national and international events—to be set over nations, to build up and tear down. He lived in a...

Jeremiah lived in troubled times. His kingdom of Judah was nearing the end of its political life under the threat of Babylonian expansion. At the same time, there was a movement...

I cannot tell you how many preachers I have heard recite these words over the years. All kinds of preachers from an array of traditions, cultures, and backgrounds. Sometimes this is...

My current Facebook cover is an image with the words “Comparing yourself to others is an act of violence against your authentic self.” While the psychological concept “impostor syndrome”—a persistent doubting...

Ubuntu—“I am because we are”—is a South African philosophy that speaks to our interconnectedness, interdependence, and interrelatedness as humans. Our humanity is only fully actualized in relationship with others. In a...

I don’t think it is too far-reaching to describe this familiar pericope as Jesus’ “mission statement.” The pieces are all there. When creating a mission statement, it is important to know...