John 17:6-19 — Year B — Easter “Except the one destined to be lost.” In that one tiny clause, Jesus attempts to explain away his failure, the one given to him but was lost. The one that got away. Judas Iscariot. His betrayer. His disciple. His friend. Earlier in John, Jesus had explained exactly what the will of God was — that he should lose nothing of all that was given to him. All. No exceptions. But now, in his... Read more
Dear Graduate, If memory serves, this month, as you are nearing graduation, you will be getting a lot of advice from a lot of well-meaning friends, family, and advisers. Unfortunately, it’s often a fair amount of bad advice. For example, they will tell you to follow your dreams. And you will be tempted to do just that, to trust them as you always have, that seductive suggestion that the world is your oyster waiting to be harvested. While that may be true for... Read more
Easter 4B — Good Shepherd Sunday — John 10:1-18 The Lectionary only offers a selection of the Good Shepherd discourse this week, but I have included verses 1-10 as well. This homily was written with collaboration and reflection from two the high school students at my local parish. Be honest, when you heard the readings this mornings, how many of you pictured Jesus the Good Shepherd looking something like this? It’s the immediate image that comes to mind, and there’s... Read more
I think a lot about that night, the night the soldiers came. In the quiet, I can still hear their steady footfalls approaching, that rhythmic shuffle of their metal breastplates, spear, sword, and shield. When I close my eyes, I can still see their torches blazing like evil eyes warning of coming misfortune. And I can still feel the foreboding and terror that seized my chest, a premonition of the trauma that was to come. I still remember seeing who... Read more
He knew he’d find his friend here, in this place of the forgotten dead, among the lost souls no one remembered any longer. It was these places where he always went first, where he always felt most at home. It was a place without the pretense of religiosity and perfection, a place where failure was so obvious the only option was honesty. When he couldn’t find his friend, this was the only place he could think to go, where he... Read more
UPDATE: This afternoon, as my children and I continued to discuss whether it was okay to trap another creature, they decided that instead of a trap, they wanted to build a hotel for the leprechaun. And to provide robots with the hotel so the leprechaun wouldn’t be lonely. So maybe it’s a reach how I critique the traps, but I’m happy as hell with what they wound up grabbing onto. Hospitality beats slavery and stealing every time. Today, thousands — if not millions... Read more
Lent 4B + John 3:14-21 Note: An earlier version of this opened with a story about my son. I had his permission to use it, but as he heard me practicing the sermon, he said he felt embarrassed. In order to respect his privacy, I changed the sermon and used a similar story from my own childhood. Also, this version represents a more pastoral sermon for my ministerial context. When I was about five years old, my mother surprised my brother and... Read more
A saint’s scheduled execution was widely protested and decried in Georgia. A sinner’s scheduled execution in Texas was largely ignored. And history repeats itself. On Sept. 21, 2011, two men were killed by the state. One man, Troy Davis, was innocent. His execution sparked a massive outcry. The other, Lawrence Russell Brewer, was not at all innocent. No one said a word about his death. Last week, a massive movement erupted online in an attempt to stop the execution of... Read more
Temple Protests Turn Violent Angry Rioters Smash, Loot Local Businesses Jerusalem — Authorities are searching for the leaders of an anti-government protests that turned violent yesterday, disrupting Jerusalem’s annual Passover observance. The leader of the unauthorized and anarchist demonstration, Jesus bar Joseph of Nazareth, is wanted on suspicion of vandalism, looting, disturbing the peace, and making terroristic threats to destroy the Temple. Jesus, a rural cult leader who has said he wants to create a new kingdom and has claimed... Read more
Vinyl. It’s not just for hipsters any more. And Christians ought to listen up, because the future of the church might just be reflected in the resurgence of vinyl records. In many ways, the music industry reminds me of the modern church. Like the church, its leaders fret about its future in the midst of dramatic cultural shifts. As with the church, there is vocal concern that death is imminent unless something drastic changes. And in both, there are anomalous bright spots,... Read more
Edges of Faith
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