Today we observe the massacre of the Holy Innocents. The story is about mass murder. The evil act is described in Matthew 2. It happens as the result of the visit of the Magi to Herod asking where the “King of the Jews” is born. It is a story that leaves a lot of open questions. Why are there no historical records or references to this action? Is it merely a literary device to parallel the story of Moses? How many... Read more
Linus told us what Christmas is all about. We try to remember it for the most part. Plans are made and remade. We rehearse plays, cantatas, and other special music. We watch the children play with animals. For most of us, we are in the place of the wise men. We see Christmas on its way. The star is arriving. Everyone diligently races to meet it. We know we will eventually get there. Christmas will happen. Nothing appears to stop... Read more
Mary is very important to the story of Jesus. Because, she is one of us. And that makes her different from her Son enough to make her more relatable to encourage us to be more Christian. This is the theme of my sermon from this past Sunday. How does that work? I does not work in the way tradition has given us. Who She Is Historically, we Protestants have gotten away from Mary. Talking about Mary seems too Catholic for... Read more
When will the kingdom come? Good question. Why are you waiting for it? Another good question. What do you expect it to be? The questions continue. Most Bible students want the answer to the first question without ever questioning their assumptions involved in the other ones. Advent is ending and Christmas is approaching. It is good to ask what we expect Christmas to be. Why? Because what we expect has a lot to do with mistakes we make. The Kingdom... Read more
Ecclesiastes is my favorite book of the Hebrew Bible. “Useless, useless, says the preacher, everything is vanity.” It is astonishing how one can achieve and then lose. Kipling’s poem “if” comes to mind here. Can a person really cope with emptiness? The Despair of Useless Living Thoreau claims, “all (people) live lives of quiet desperation.” Every generation believes it discovers this idea. But Ecclesiastes put it into words 2600 years ago. “And nothing is new under the sun.” People often think existential despair... Read more
Bullies want one thing. They want control. Everyone else ends up playing by the bully’s rules once they give them that control. For the intended victim it is a no-win situation. Once the victim begins winning according to those rules, the bully changes them. And worse yet, if it does not go the bullies way, they play the victim. Playing At Testing Jesus The events of holy week that are recorded in the synoptic gospels are often read during church.... Read more
What is the gospel except a manifesto of sorts? The word manifesto is overused. But it gives us an image of something that intends to subvert. In this case, to subvert what is the apparent natural order of things and to bring about something new. This point is illustrated over and over in the gospels. John intends to use the stories of Jesus to say something revolutionary about God. Matthew uses the stories of Jesus to reinterpret the torah of Moses. Mark gives us an... Read more
Thanksgiving meals often begin with declarations of gratitude. The meal preparation is complete. But before eating it starts a prayer or some other thanksgiving is offered. It is a good time most of the time. This year was one of the best for me. I found I had more to be thankful for after the meal than before it. It took a few days to put my finger on what worked. I discovered it was not what I did as... Read more
A “hillbilly eulogy” for Appalachia is long overdue. I barely recognize my own culture in Ron Howard’s Hillbilly Elegy that is now showing on Netflix. The film is based on the book of the same name from author J. D. Vance. It is subtitled as “A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.” He means the culture in which I was raised and have worked most of my adult life. We are a culture that has crises and has overcome crises... Read more
Thanksgiving Day is controversial. No one should be surprised by it. I have often thought that the day points we the people to some sort of ideal community. Of course, even an ideal community is controversial. It should be. The question is, “ideal for whom?” But, the question is too vague. Some ideal views are not worth consideration. “Political Correctness” A common meme says that political correctness is a way of saying, “Don’t be a jerk.” Others claim that political... Read more
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