By John C. Holbert Lectionary Reflections for  Epiphany 5  –  Isaiah 40:21-31 We Christians have just concluded our yearly celebration of the birth of Jesus and, as always, have used the opening verses of Is 40 to inaugurate the feast. “Comfort, comfort, my people,” cries the unnamed prophet of the exile to a people lost and hopeless, announcing to them that the horrors of their deportation and the rigors of their ghetto existence in Babylon are about to end, because... Read more

“Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.” (Jesus, Sermon on the Mount, Luke 12: 48) That’s how it is in the kingdom of heaven, that realm of living imagination that inspires us to create it on earth. But here on earth in America today, Mitt Romney, a very rich man, paid an average of only 14% in tax on his income... Read more

By John C. Holbert Lectionary Reflections on Deuteronomy 18: 15-20 Epiphany 4: Sunday, January 29, 2012 Many Bible passages are quite fascinating in multiple ways, but today’s Hebrew Bible pericope is especially interesting for several reasons, reasons that I hope will become apparent in this article. And it is peculiar at first blush just what it may have to do with the season of Epiphany. Well, on the surface that seems obvious; the text speaks of a promised prophet who... Read more

If we are living faithful lives, seeking to serve others and love them as Christ loved us, it’s no secret to anyone. Read more

(This “musing” appears in The Interfaith Observer online magazine this month.) My wife and I drive out of the city.  On the way, we share stories with each other. We laugh about how complicated and intertwined the tales of our lives have become with each other, and with and among the people we know. We are amazed at how disparate events and people come together over time, in surprising combinations. We get out in the country and see a lonesome... Read more

Bruce Metzger, in his seminal work The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance, writes that, Shortly after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968, a group of ministers seriously proposed that King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” be added to the New Testament. All will appreciate that this letter, written in April 1964 after he had been jailed in Birmingham, Alabama, for participating in a civil-rights protest, conveys a strong prophetic witness, and interprets God’s... Read more

“Life is infinitely stranger than anything the mind can invent,” so says Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes.  These days, the words of politicians are infinitely stranger than anything the mind can invent.  Kansas Speaker of the House Mike O’Neal, noted for his recent description of Michelle Obama as “Mrs. YoMama,” is now in the news for forwarding a prayer that some people interpret as asking God for the President’s death. The forwarded e-mail goes as follows: “At... Read more

America is entering a Mormon moment as a former bishop of the Latter-Day Saints, Mitt Romney, takes front-runner place in the race for the Republican nomination for the presidency.  I welcome the religious reckoning that is bound to result.  Mormonism shines an ultraviolet light on Christianity in America, revealing features that are unseen under the rest of the spectrum.  In the last few years, I have become acquainted with the progressive theological and social movement within the Mormon world.  It’s... Read more

Just when you think the theological foolishness of the presidential election is on the wane, another public figure claims a unique relationship to God.  We already know that God called Michelle Bachmann and Rick Perry to run for president, and has a special relationship to them, despite their poor electoral showings.  We also know that Pat Robertson has been given a special revelation about the identity of the next president, though he’s keeping it a secret.  Now, fresh from his... Read more