For quite some time, scholars studying the Bible have been pretty sure that the Letter to the Hebrews attributed to Paul wasn’t really written by Paul at all. And by “for quite some time,” I mean since the second and third century. They’re not really sure who wrote it, but...
The gospel of Luke recounts a story in which Jesus heals a woman “with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years” and he does it on the sabbath. This draws the ire of the leader of the synagogue who accuses Jesus of violating the sabbath law by doing...
Who are your heroes? Why are they your heroes? What have they inspired in you? Sure, we have people we might look up to because of a skill or gift that they have: an athlete, artist, soldier, tradesperson, maybe even a politician. (Could be. Maybe.) Someone with a gift we...
One of our summer children’s programs this year featured stories with the theme of “rock.” This story for all ages, inspired by Genesis and The Lion King, reminds us that we are all connected, all equally a part of creation from the beginning. We need reminding. In the beginning, the...
Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and...
Our annual summer children’s program was last week. This year, we called it Rock U and the theme was stories connected to, well, rock. That might not sound super interesting, but we used it to connect to our relationship with the earth and God, building (especially ourselves), story telling and...
Are you a Mary or a Martha? That’s the question most people will want to ask themselves when they hear the story of Jesus visiting the home of Mary and Martha, two very different sisters (Luke 10:38-42). Martha welcomes Jesus, as a good host should, but then is too busy...
The story of the Good Samaritan is one of the best known of Jesus’ parables. It’s become something of a cliché, even. Just the other day, I read in the news that a person who stopped to give a ride to a young family that missed their bus was referred...
Do you have a basic “essentials” list of things you have to have with you when you go out the door? Your phone, of course, a wallet (or at least a debit card or some cash, maybe a driver’s license), keys, maybe a hat or coat, maybe a watch or...
Jesus isn’t easy. I don’t know how many times I’ve said that so I’m just going to say, “ a lot.” Jesus isn’t easy. It can certainly be easy to say “I’m a follower of Jesus” or, even easier, “I’m a Christian,” but living it isn’t easy. It’s both one...