My contribution to Patheos’ Lenten Series is now live — written from the perspective of the Servant Girl who questioned Peter. In particular, see the reflection questions at the end of the piece. Click here to read my reflection. Also be sure to check out the whole “Shouting Stones” series, which will run throughout Lent. Read more
(Stephen V. Sprinkle. Unfinished Lives: Reviving the Memories of LGBTQ Hate Crimes Victims. Eugene, Oregon: Resource Publications, 2011. 299 pages.) Stephen Sprinkle has published a much-needed book based on his work as director of the Unfinished Lives Project. The Unfinished Lives website has long been on the frontline of documenting, honoring, and remembering hate crime victims in the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) communities. This book grows out of that work, and is a labor of love based on meticulous... Read more
The season of Lent is a forty-day period of self-examination in preparation for Easter — in imitation of the forty days that Jesus spent in prayer and fasting in the desert, as recorded in this week’s Gospel Lesson. As part of our corporate Lenten discipline, you will notice that “The Sacrament of Silence” has been added to the order of worship following the sermon as a time “to reflect prayerfully in response to the spoken word.” We have intentionally added... Read more
Michael Card’s new book Luke: The Gospel of Amazement brought to mind memories of his music that I listened to as a teenager growing up in an evangelical church. For fans of his singing, his latest book has a supplemental CD (available separately) that is titled, Luke: A World Turned Upside Down. This initial book and CD pairing are part of a larger Biblical Imagination Series through InterVarsity Press, which includes both concerts as well as forthcoming installments by Card on... Read more
I would normally approach an Oscar blog for Patheos from an explicitly spiritual perspective. However, with the Academy Awards less than three days away, I want to offer you something more pragmatic: a guide to catching-up on films you’ve missed before the big night. Emergency Rooms use a process known as “triage” in order to treat the most critical patients first, and I’ll use a similar process to help you be best informed about the films you will most likely... Read more
From the title alone I was intrigued to read Brant Pitre’s new book Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper. As a Christian minister, who is married to a Jewish woman and who is writing his dissertation on the topic of Communion, I have a vested interest in the Jewish roots of the Eucharist. While reading, I was continually struck by the dual realization that, on one hand, the book is interesting and internally consistent;... Read more
Happy Evolution Sunday! Or “Happy Evolution Weekend,” as the event is coming to be known. For the past five years, an increasing number of individuals, churches, and faith communities have recognized the Sunday closest to Charles Darwin’s birthday (February 12) as an annual opportunity to reflect on what religion has to learn from science, in particular how Christianity can embrace the insights of evolution. In recent months, perhaps the most exciting dialogue between Christianity and evolution has been a series... Read more
In our pluralistic world, Christians are increasingly open to supplementing their faith with lessons from other religious paths. My understanding of prayer has deepened through practicing Buddhist meditation techniques. I’ve learned how to celebrate Sabbath more joyfully from Jews. The Muslim commitment to pray five times a day has challenged me to be more regular in my own prayer practice. Most recently, I have become more attuned to the Pagan notion of the Wheel of the Year, which invites us... Read more
My most personal connection to Egypt is spending a few days in Cairo and the Sinai Peninsula during my junior year of college. We spent six weeks on an unforgettable travel study through Egypt, Jordan, Israel, and Italy. But we started our journey in Cairo, and I will confess that — as amazing as the rest of the trip was — it was all downhill after seeing the Pyramids on day one. Walking in the sands of Giza, in the... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In
Lectionary Commentary: “Practicing Transfiguration”
What can we do beyond merely admiring Jesus’ Transfiguration? Said differently, what could it mean to practice Transfiguration? I owe my title to a 2010 sermon of the same name by one of my mentors, Dr. Bruce Epperly. His angle of approach reminds me of Wendell Berry’s injunction to “practice Resurrection” from one of my favorite poems “The Mad Farmer’s Liberation Front” — although I could also credit Harry Potter for an entirely different meaning of practicing transfiguration! Before proceeding to the... Read more