The tragedies in Marin have been piling up these last few weeks. Two teenagers committed suicide, there was a horrifying drunk driving accident, a stabbing, and that’s just the stuff I know about. I’ve been impressed with the impromptu responses all over the county, but they have left a question in my mind. The initial events had dealt with facts, and advice on how to keep our teenagers safe. It boils down to this: stay informed, stay involved, 4 family... Read more
Several years ago when Canada was considering splitting up their Northwest Territories into two Provinces, they held a contest to see what the Provinces might be named. One of the finalist names was, Bob. Consider the conversations. “Where do you live?” “I live in Umingmaktok; it’s in the Northeast corner of Bob.” You gotta love the whimsical Canadians. Sadly, the name Bob was rejected. Ever since I’ve been thinking we really ought to name something, Bob. Which brings me to... Read more
We’ve Seen a Great Light (Audio approximately 10 MB, right-click to download.) The sermon, the first in a long series on Matthew’s gospel, talks about one of the 8 "prophesy fulfillment" passages in Matthew. They are not there to prove that Jesus is the Messiah. The readers are already convinced of that. They are there to describe the nature of the Messiah’s work. In this case, for all those who find themselves in a dark place, they have encountered the... Read more
My mother had rocks in her head. She said so herself. She was referring to certain faith puzzles she couldn’t seem to penetrate. Like a rock on a shelf she would occasionally take one down, look at it, then put it back. Turns out I have a couple of rocks in my head too. Take for instance the concept of “magic blood.” There was a time when people thought blood has magical properties. So when the authors of the New... Read more
A Still More Glorious Dawn Awaits1 As Luke’s gospel tells the story, the religious leaders, soldiers and a criminal mocked Jesus on the cross. “You saved others, now save yourself,” they said. But he did not. For Jesus thought it unfaithful to hang onto life when to relinquish it meant that a still more glorious dawn might arise over what he called the “Kingdom of God” – the reign of God, a vision founded on liberty – that brand of... Read more
Christianity For the SBNR
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