Limits of Power / Limits of Belief
For SundaySixth Sunday after Pentecost Collect O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to...
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The Power Inside
We read a gospel filled with Jesus’s surprising power. In what ways do we continue to be surprised by that power? Jesus and the incredible possibleProper 9B | Mark 6:1-13 Photo by Ray Bilcliff from...
View ArticleAbout the Feeding
For SundayNinth Sunday after Pentecost Collect O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you...
View ArticleA path to love
For Sunday, the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost Collect Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church...
View ArticleKings and the price of granting supremacy
We are all familiar with the saying “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”– John Dalberg-Acton. We also know that it doesn’t come from the Bible but from a historian, John...
View ArticleDealing with Power
The Last Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 29BJohn 18:33-37 Collect Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords:...
View ArticleBetter Than a King
Christians have long called Jesus their king as a way of describing his place. The trouble is just how much that limits him. Jesus isn’t limited to our imaginationsProper 29B | John 18:33-37...
View ArticleForgiveness and the power we refuse to use
The parable of the lost sons is not just a story of forgiveness. It is also a story of power. One uses his to forgive. And the other…. This week’s gospel is a famous story of forgiveness. In it, a...
View ArticleThe Time of Temptation
In the Passion, we receive a story of innocence murdered. But that story’s foundation is all so much temptation. Good Friday, the Passion, and TrustGood Friday | Luke 22:39-23:56 As Jesus brings his...
View ArticleIn Focus
We aren’t just distractible. We focus on the wrong stuff from the start. Making stories of God’s love into opportunities to judge. Disciples and the Beloved CommunityProper 9C | Luke 10:1-11, 16-20...
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The Fanciest One There
Jesus tells some fancy people at a fancy party — have you thought about inviting people who aren’t fancy? Photo by picjumbo.com For SundayProper 17C Collect Lord of all power and might, the author and...
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OK, who invited Jesus? (Proper 17C)
Jesus goes to a second dinner party with elites and again makes a scene, shaming them for how they treat others. Photo by Pixabay Here are some ways I approach this text: ReflectionReflection on...
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On the Inside
For a second time, Jesus shames elites at a dinner party. Here’s what he’s trying to teach us about power and shame. Photo by Igor Starkov Jesus and the awkward dinner partyProper 17C | Luke 14:1,...
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Your boss wants you to hate quiet quitting
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio It is a simple scene from the film, Office Space. The company has written rules it can enforce. It also has unwritten rules it cannot by law enforce. So what does the...
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Getting into Hades (Proper 21C)
In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, we are given an illustration of what it means to serve wealth (not God). Photo by Ian Cylkowski on Unsplash This parable, about a rich man going to Hades...
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Persistence as an act of resistance
We often isolate the need to persist from the experience of oppression. But it is the demand for justice that fuels it. Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash It is easy to root for a widow...
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Perspective: seeing things in different ways
Photo by Patrick on Unsplash We love the idea of broadening our perspective. Because we know we all see things differently. We also still love being right. Years ago, I took the Strengths Finder...
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Not Feeding Trolls
Photo by Philipp Katzenberger on Unsplash The earliest internet maxim needs an update. The advice has long endured: “don’t feed the trolls.” Which is, essentially, don’t attempt to reason with someone...
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Who wants a King? – the seduction of power
Photo by William Krause on Unsplash Power, in good hands, is still our problem. About a century ago, the Roman Catholic Church named the last Sunday after Pentecost “Christ the King.” Moved by the...
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Christ, a king? (Proper 29C)
Photo by Shirly Niv Marton on Unsplash The complicated feelings of calling Jesus “king”. Maybe you don’t have complicated feelings. I’m not assuming you do. I do, however, because it kinda makes...
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