A society based on the exploitation of limited natural resources, harmful production, and obsessive consumption is ill equipped to plan for a radically different kind of life allowing for survival in the future. Our whole society is based on a “growing economy” which requires an expanding exploitation of the earth–the very exploitation which has produced the climate crisis which threatens the existence of much of our planet. Continue reading
Read the Scripture Jesus and his disciples are on the road to Jerusalem. As they make their way to the final showdown with the Jerusalem authorities, Jesus tries to warn his followers three times that they will face suffering, persecution, and possibly death. But the disciples are confused and probably… Continue reading
When our daughter was a toddler, she burned her hand on one of the burners of our kitchen stove. She screamed in agony. Quickly we put some ice in a plastic bag and placed it in her tiny hand to relieve the pain. Whenever we had to replace the ice,… Continue reading
When will we teach our children in school what they are? We should say to each of them; “Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all of the world there is no other child exactly like you. In the millions of years that… Continue reading
Have you ever been disappointed in a politician? Have you ever voted for a politician because you believed in what he or she promised or supposedly stood for, only to learn later that this politician was like all the rest? Well, in one sense we have only ourselves to blame…. Continue reading
(The following sermon was preached at a Child Dedication service. I have included the pastoral prayer, the communion meditation, and the commission.) Our passage makes clear a fundamental truth about the home and the responsibility of parents regarding the religious training of their children. And that truth, expressed in the… Continue reading
(The following sermon was delivered at our grandson Jeffery’s dedication service.) An honest study of the Scriptures will not provide a lot of specific guidance regarding the rearing of children. And to be honest, some of that guidance is not helpful: “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” “If your… Continue reading
In a church I pastored years ago I was humbled and taught by a pre-kindergarten child. Angela sat with her mother Linda in our sanctuary before our worship service began. She turned and said to her mother, “Mommy, we need to go home. We can’t have church.” Linda asked her… Continue reading
