“When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain.” (John 6:15) Ask yourself a serious question. Why did Jesus avoid being made a king? The answer most of us hear in Sunday School is, “the crowd tried to make him an earthly king.” It supposedly would not be the kind of king Jesus was not to become. Maybe a heavenly one? Somehow I doubt that... Read more
Bad theology makes bad politics, and bad politics makes worse theology. This truth is easy to pinpoint when we see it on T-shirts, car stickers, and spilling from the mouths of elected officials. The slogan is “Heaven has a strict immigration policy. Hell has open borders.” This is an example of one’s political position informing one’s theology. Nationalist Theology Christian nationalism purports to be an ideology influenced by Christian teaching. At best, it distorts Christian teaching and cannot usually be... Read more
We Are Tired of Being Angry I am tired of being angry. Other people are, too. Then there are those people who never appear to tire of it. They must be getting tired of being furious at the world. Other people in our lives must be weary of us being angry. Speaking for myself, I repent. Why Angry? Granted, there is much in the world that excuses anger. Injustice, hypocrisy, stupidity, evil, and ignorance appear to be reasons for anger. ... Read more
Clarence the Angel (Second Class) tells George Bailey that one man’s action can have ripple effects. I often ask if there is any person whose actions do not cause some effects, either positively or negatively, somewhere. When national leaders act we hope the effects are order and not chaos. Sometimes our desire for order causes chaos. When we desire chaos, we will have it. Chaos Caused by Me Anyone who sees my workspace will argue that I am disorderly, chaotic,... Read more
Overseas Traveling We just returned from a nice trip overseas. Now I am pondering what we learn from such travel. It helps to go to a country where a different language is spoken. None of the schools where I was raised offered courses in Norwegian. It is helpful to the traveler when I find that nearly every person in the service industry speaks English. Yet, signs and menus can be a problem for the traveler. It is sometimes frustrating. The... Read more
The weather determines if I observe evening prayer or vespers on the back deck of my house. This Autumn, I noticed something that I could not remember happening before. Along the fence in the backyard, one tree loses all of its leaves in November. It is that time when I can get the best view of the birds that stop there on the way to and from my bird feeders. Once the winter took hold and the sun began to... Read more
Today is inauguration day. Last November, Trumpism won the majority of the elections. I watched the returning President’s speech. Yet, I am not critiquing it today. I jotted down these thoughts a few weeks ago. Like many people, I asked myself what the people supporting Donald Trump were doing. Were they ignorant? Were they evil? Had they been conned? The answers to these questions are all of these and none simultaneously. I listened to what Trump supporters said. And I... Read more
(This post is from my sermon for January 5th based on Ephesians 3:1-12) Epiphany is the celebration of people who recognize God’s revelation in Jesus Christ. On Christmas Eve, I talked about the wise men’s visit to Bethlehem, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They followed the star, a sign in the heavens that showed God was at work in the world. The Magi recognized this for what it was. They asked in Jerusalem, “Where is the newly born... Read more
Some people think I am a real person. It is a good bet that I am simply a character in a story – a parable – designed to enlighten the minds of listeners. My name is unknown. I was never worthy of one. You call me the “Good Samaritan.” Another person said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Good Neighbors Why do you call me that, anyway? You know. I am labeled as the “Good Samaritan.” Jesus never calls me... Read more
Jesus was guilty. Yes, I know we say Jesus died without sin. Still, it is possible to be guilty and without sin. The present age is not different from any other in this fact. We often hold people accountable for actions we lack the courage to do. We participate in the sins of other people including the majority opinion. This is the point where Jesus was guilty. Actually he was guilty on several points. Jesus Was Guilty For Not Condemning... Read more
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