I was given the wonderful opportunity to speak at the American Friends Service Committee’s Corporate Gathering this past Saturday on the subject of Zacchaeus, Single-Stories and Bayard Rustin’s “Angelic-Troublemakers.” If you’re interested in reading that message, you can jump over to their Acting in Faith Blog and
Continue reading →We All Desire Another’s Desire Like many kids growing up, I worked hard to gain the approval of my parents, teachers, friends and pastors. One year in college when I ran for class president, I did it on a whim. I thought it would be funny to see if
Continue reading →Here is a prayer from Walter Rauschenbusch (1861-1918) that seems as timely as ever, and one we ought to be praying regularly, especially given the state of the church and its too often unfortunate behavior in American society and politics. OUR Father, we look back on the years that are
Continue reading →“Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in
Continue reading →“In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.
Continue reading →“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be
Continue reading →Movement by Rumi If a tree could move from place to place, It would escape the pain of the ax. And if the sun and moon were set in stone, how could they spread their light? How bitter would the great Euphrates, Tigris, and Oxus rivers become, if they were
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Happiness I wanted to start off by saying something about happiness. There’s been plenty of research done around what is happiness and how do we achieve it? In one recent study by Arthur Brooks he stated that scientists have proven that up to 48% of happiness has to do
Continue reading →This past Sunday we talked about imperfection and the importance of being average and ordinary. Jesus’ work in Galilee reveals his desire to “build an alliance of backwards people” or as another person put it, Jesus worked to create the “fellowship of the disqualified.” We put so much pressure on
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“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.” (Matthew 4:23 NRSV) Pushing Cars [I opened my sermon by sharing a story about my car battery dying and trying to push the
Continue reading →“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains,
Continue reading →Birthday Parties in a Cul-de-Sac: The Conundrum and Guilt of Planning a Birthday Party in the Burbs I realize not all morality finds its origins in the 80s, but in this case, I think I am on good ground. When I was growing up in the age of the 8
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