Relating, Creating, Transforming
Mark 10:17-31 When I was a kid [well, I still am a kid, but just an older one], like most kids, I understood reward and punishment pretty well. Do well in school–get rewarded with good grades and a pat on the back from teachers and parents. Goof off and cause trouble—end up in detention and […]
Read MoreMatthew 20:1-16 I have mentioned before that four-year-olds ask the most questions…and constantly. Their brains are built to ask questions, and so they do. As we get older, though, for some reason, we ask less questions. And sadly, many of us stop asking questions altogether. But let’s not do that as we read scripture. Let’s […]
Read MoreMatthew 5:13-20 We’re about to talk about NaCl. But before we dig into salt, some things to think about: Prior to this, Jesus of Nazareth gave his famous speech called the beatitudes and here we find the Jesus of Matthew’s Gospel continuing with some words you can also find in the Gospels of Mark and […]
Read MoreMatthew 5:1-12 How do you greet people? How do people greet you? It depends on where you live, of course. In Hawai’i, someone might approach you and say: How’s it? In Philly and South Jersey, I hear this a lot: How YOU doin’? Or, this: Whazzup? or What’s up, yo? Or the really short version: […]
Read MoreMatthew 1:18-25, NRSV 18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah[a] took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, […]
Read MoreMatthew 11:2-11 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” 4Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5the blind receive their sight, the […]
Read MoreIsaiah 11:1-10 I thought that there was no better way to start a message and conversation about peace than to hear from the late Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela who died at the age of 95 this past Thursday, December 5th. His life and work are a testimony to what real peacemaking looks like. And that is […]
Read MoreLuke 19:1-10 He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a […]
Read MoreLuke 16:1-13 This story is often called the parable of the unjust steward. There are many different interpretations. It is referred to as one of the hard sayings of Jesus. Why? Because it’s hard to figure out! Okay, so let me ask you. What is confusing about this parable? What questions do you have? It […]
Read MoreLuke 12:32-40 Today’s message is about treasure. But when we hear that word treasure today, our minds tend to wander off into thoughts of pirates, maps, and perhaps Johnny Depp. Okay, so let’s contextualize the word treasure. Treasures are what we value. So what do you value? There are hundreds of online exercises you can […]
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