For over forty years, I’ve celebrated each Christmas season by watching It’s a Wonderful Life. I’m sure I’m not the only who has to reach for a handkerchief in the course of observing George Bailey’s adventures in self-discovery. Overwhelmed by financial failure and the frustrations of daily life, Bailey contemplates suicide until he is confronted by an angelic visitor who shows him the panorama of his life: despite his regrets about missing out on his great dream of traveling the... Read more
Lectionary Reflections on The Reign of Christ Sunday November 24, 2013 Isaiah 23:1-6; Psalm 46; Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43 Universality and Intimacy Can we talk about Christ the King or the Reign of Christ Sunday in a pluralistic age? At first glance, there is something anachronistic about claiming Christological superiority in a postmodern age of seekers, multiple faiths, and self-described spiritual but not religious persons. Need universality lead to imperialism? Can we claim universality in terms of God’s presence in the ministry and... Read more
Lectionary Reflections for November 17, 2013 Divine Creativity and Human Agency Taken together today’s lectionary readings proclaim that God is active and innovative, working toward a realm of wholeness encompassing humanity and the non-human world and so should we. God is involved in world-transformation, and so should we. God’s agency inspires our own agency and creativity. We are God’s partners in promoting the realm of Shalom. An active God says “all hands on deck. Let’s get to work. Together we... Read more
A wise theologian once noted that we should not speculate on the furniture of heaven or the temperature of hell. Obviously, Emanuel Swedenborg did not take his advice. In Our Life After Death, Swedenborg graphically describes his mystic vision of heaven, hell, and the postmortem experiences of humankind. In contrast to the generally rosy scenes described in most near death experiences, Swedenborg claims direct knowledge of hellish as well as heavenly states. We can’t run away from our lives, even... Read more
Lectionary Reflections for November 10, 2013 Haggai 1:15b-2:9; Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17; John 20:27-38 Today’s passages relate to the authority of prophets and world spiritual leaders such as Jesus. God’s word touches prophets; it is also present in the beauty of the universe and the moral arc of history, both of which reflect God’s wise and patient providence. We can experience inner authority by aligning ourselves with God’s vision of the future, and while we can’t know the exact nature... Read more
N. T. Wright’s magisterial text Paul and the Faithfulness of God is destined to become a classic in Pauline theological studies. As a pastor and theologian, like Wright, I join the study and the pulpit and the library and hospital room. My preaching and pastoral care are grounded in theological reflection and my theology finds its inspiration in pastoral care, spiritual direction, and the weekly responsibilities of preaching God’s good news and leading a congregation on Cape Cod. I have... Read more
Tullian Tchividjian’s One Way Love: Inexhaustible Grace for an Exhausted World speaks a word of grace to a world of legalism and perfectionism. Tchividjian believes that in a world of self-justification and ever-increasing and impossible performance standards, grace abounds. God’s love for us comes without our having to earn anything, but out of God’s pure and unmerited good pleasure. Tchividjian asserts correctly that “it often seems that the Good News of God’s grace has been tragically hijacked by an oppressively... Read more
In his new book, Living by Faith, Dwelling in Doubt, Kyle Cupp presents a personal journey into the postmodern world. Like most persons under fifty – and many of us over 50 – his life has always involved dialogue with multiple spiritual pathways. While he has a religious home in the Roman Catholic Church, he recognizes the relativity of his specific denominational faith tradition, of Christianity, and all spiritual points of view. Faith is not having all the answers, but... Read more
Lectionary Reflections for October 27, 2013 Joel 2:23-32; Psalm 65; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 14-16; Luke 18:9-14 Anne Lamott asserts that the essential elements of prayer are “Help, Thanks, and Wow.” Today’s readings involve a litany of praise – a spiritual “wow” at the many ways God moves in our lives and the world. God is always at work faithfully in the microcosm and macrocosm and the human and non-human. The only response we can make to God’s ubiquitous grace is praise. Joel praises... Read more
A well-known saying from Zen Buddhism notes: “Before enlightenment, I chopped wood and carried water. After enlightenment, I chopped wood and carried water.” Although deeply rooted in the Roman Catholic tradition, this is the essence of Tim and Sue Muldoon’s Six Sacred Rules for Family: A Spirituality of the Home. Quite often in life, the issue is not what we do but how we do it. Family life today, even in rural areas, can often be described as a state of... Read more
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