Can I Resist Temptation? Luke 4:1-13 Lent began this week: 40 days of walking with Jesus toward the cross.  Over the next few weeks we’ll be reading the gospel passages with the theme: A Questioning Faith. We’re pretty good around here at applying a critical eye to texts and traditions; familiar religious approaches to most anything are held under microscopic scrutiny from time to time here at The Riverside Church.  And that’s a good thing, to question our faith. But... Read more

One of the best things about being a pastor is that over the course of experiencing the pastorate you can collect really great stories. Only some of those stories can be repeated in polite company, but that’s a topic for another column. Among the stories we collect, there are many that live in our memories as potent reminders of the presence of God. And who doesn’t need a few of those every once in awhile? Sometimes — most times —... Read more

There’s a short story written by Philip Gulley, well-known Christian writer and Quaker pastor from Indiana. Here’s how it goes: I was born deep in the winter. Each birthday my father phones to recount the events surrounding my birth. Our sons are asleep in their bedroom under the eaves. My wife and I are sitting in front of the fireplace; she is doing her needlework and I am reading a mystery. The phone rings. I ease out of my chair,... Read more

Even the memory feels vaguely cheesy, as do most things Disney (in my experience). I was 6 years old; the date was July 4, 1976. For that year of my life my family lived in Orlando, Fla., and my parents took the whole family to Disney World for the bicentennial celebration. It’s one of my earliest memories: fireworks and popcorn and Mickey Mouse and strains of “It’s a Small World After All” — an optimism, hope and pride that framed... Read more