It’s odd that we so often need to hear permission for what we so desperately need. Rest is one such hellish need. Sometimes rest seems far too… Read more “Permission for Holy Rest”
Category: theology
Those We Meet on the Road
Roads are thin spaces. I often romanticize thin spaces — their defiance of clear boundaries and their endless possibilities. They represent a reality of spiritual realms that… Read more “Those We Meet on the Road”
When the Powers are Wrong
This week’s pericope is one that has troubled Christians for millennia. Jesus utters horrifying words like “no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks… Read more “When the Powers are Wrong”
When Healing Make Life Complicated
When I skimmed this week’s gospel reading from the lectionary, I rolled my eyes a little bit (my mother would be so pleased, quite possibly declaring I… Read more “When Healing Make Life Complicated”
A Mothering Jesus
This week’s pericope was a long one — John 21:1-19. The disciples are fishing all night long, Jesus waits for them on the beach, there’s a miraculous… Read more “A Mothering Jesus”
Women of the Crucifixion: The Sound of God
I’ve done it since I was young. Focus on the absence of God, I mean. Not that any one group has any precise, theological understanding of exactly… Read more “Women of the Crucifixion: The Sound of God”
The Parable of the Absent Mother
I had the chance to participate in a pulpit swap this past Sunday. My Lutheran congregation occasionally trades pastors for a morning with the local Anglican church… Read more “The Parable of the Absent Mother”
Judgment, Jesus,Figs, & Poop
Preaching on passages known for judgment during their integrative history is difficult. For some reason, we are overly attached to this notion of God as axe-wielder, ready… Read more “Judgment, Jesus,Figs, & Poop”
Ash Wednesday: Embracing Healing for Lent
Yesterday was Ash Wednesday — the day in the Christian liturgical calendar that marks the beginning of Lent. The day we remember our mortality — we are… Read more “Ash Wednesday: Embracing Healing for Lent”
A Call to Repentance
John’s baptism is tricky to preach on. On the one hand, he’s a fiery preacher who makes stark the need for transformation in a dark world. On… Read more “A Call to Repentance”