When we say God is “eternal,” we mean that God is eternally young. (Meister Eckhart) The traditional image of God as an old man encrusted in tradition and sitting on a throne encased with the cobwebs of eternity just doesn’t seem appropriate at Christmas when we celebrate the coming of… Continue reading
Years ago I heard an amusing story from one of my ministerial colleagues. There was a duck hunter named Sam who bought a fully trained retriever from a farmer in the Midwest. On the way home from picking up the dog, the hunter stopped at a pond to test the… Continue reading
I believe Etty Hillesum was one of those rare people whose epitaph could read “In the worst of times she did the best of things.” The cruel, depraved, hate-filled world of Nazi Europe was the time and space in which she had to live. And in spite of all the inhumanity she witnessed and suffered, Etty Hillesum reached out in love and compassion to her fellow humans, forgave those who dealt cruelly with her and her people, and found in the Living God more power, truth, and love than I can ever imagine possible. Continue reading
John Powell, a Jesuit priest and psychologist, told of his experience with the death of his father. It was during a cold January in a small hospital that Powell’s father breathed his last. Powell was supporting his father in his arms while his mother was seated by the bedside praying…. 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
There is a Chinese legend about a wise farmer who had a son, a horse, and a neighbor. One morning the son rode off to the city, but the horse threw him and wandered off. So the son came back home without the horse. “What a misfortune!” said the neighbor…. Continue reading
