The Only Reasons for Ash Wednesday

Last updated on: February 17, 2021 at 6:53 pm By Frederick Schmidt

Ash Wednesday, like other days in the Christian calendar, is designed to encourage spiritual reflection. But in a culture that is easily bored and longs endlessly for relevance, the nature and purpose of that day is easily lost. So, over the years, we have developed alternative interpretations and observances that don’t require reflection. “Ashes to Go” makes it possible to receive the imposition of ashes without sitting through the prayers and long silences of the service. Last year and this... Read more

Why Pray

Last updated on: February 1, 2021 at 7:03 am By Frederick Schmidt

Over the years I have written on the subject of suffering. I didn’t set out to do that. It has been the object of human reflection for as long as people have strung sentences together. To say that an ocean of ink has been spilled over the subject is an understatement. It is also impossible to say anything utterly new about it. But over the years I wrote two books on the subject[1] and a long string of articles.[2]... Read more

Baptizing Jesus

Last updated on: January 10, 2021 at 5:00 pm By Frederick Schmidt

True confession: Clergy love telling liturgical blooper stories. There are a lot of motives for this practice. Some of it involves making mental notes of what to avoid. Some of it is just about the quirky, humorous nature of it all. And some of it is probably all about the relief at having managed to avoid making at least some of the mistakes that are possible. My personal favorite, which I’ve told some of you about, was the mistake... Read more

Christmas and Covid

Last updated on: December 24, 2020 at 10:11 am By Frederick Schmidt

Intuitively we are all wired to look for refuge at Christmas: A bit of peace, a relief from the routine, freedom from strife, protection for the poor, shelter for the homeless, reconciliation between those at war with one another (wars both large and small), healing for the sick, comfort for those who grieve. It is a very human thing to long for those things, and there are very good reasons theologically to long for them. The first coming of... Read more

Waiting for a “Who” – Not a “What”

Last updated on: December 14, 2020 at 8:23 am By Frederick Schmidt

It is easy to wander in and out of a season like Advent without ever really understanding what it is all about. On the whole, we don’t work very hard to orient our congregations to the Christian calendar and – given the way in which popular culture has wrapped itself around some of those seasons – it is hard to ensure that those explanations are heard, even when we offer them. That’s unfortunate, to say the least, because the Christian... Read more

Patience for the Sake of Others: A Reflection on Advent Waiting

Last updated on: December 7, 2020 at 6:10 am By Frederick Schmidt

2 Peter 3:8-15a Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise,... Read more

The Other Side of the Tracks

Last updated on: November 13, 2020 at 8:48 am By Frederick Schmidt

The expression, “the other side of the tracks,” has been around for as long as I can remember. Bloomsbury International (like a number of other sources) notes that, “Some claim that it derives from the fact that in the time of steam trains, the wind blew the soot from the train to one side of the tracks (the railway tracks) meaning that one side would become more polluted and, in turn, this side would then become the poor, industrialised area.” Perhaps. It certainly has become a powerful metaphor for... Read more

Political realities that won’t change even when the votes are counted

Last updated on: November 6, 2020 at 9:34 am By Frederick Schmidt

Last week I addressed the spiritual realities that will remain unchanged by the election. Perhaps I should have said, if the election ever ends. That said, the campaign itself is over and those truths remain unchanged. But there are also political realities that won’t change after the votes are counted: For every person who voted one way, there is a person who voted the other way. There will be people who believe both candidates represent legitimate concerns. The presidency will will... Read more

6 Spiritual Truths that Won’t Change with the Election

Last updated on: October 29, 2020 at 3:54 pm By Frederick Schmidt

Some time ago, Ben Myers, a systematics professor at United Theological College in Sydney, Australia, summarized the Bible, book by book, using Twitter. He did an admirable job of capturing the themes of First and Second Kings: 1 Kings: So, you really want a monarchy huh? Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 2 Kings: I told you so. Read together, the message of those two books could be understood as an endorsement of theocracy (i.e., the direct rule of... Read more

The Court and the Christian Conscience

Last updated on: October 1, 2020 at 7:36 am By Frederick Schmidt

The nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, a devout Roman Catholic, to the Supreme Court has focused attention on how people of faith conduct themselves in public office, particularly when there are specific issues of moral consequence. How do Christians navigate the debate today over the appointment of Supreme Court Justices? Let me suggest how Christians might navigate that issue: I assume that people will live by some kind of imperative or a constellation of imperatives, be they religious or not.... Read more