Genesis 3 “The First Things” (The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil) Part 9

At the beginning of this sermon series I suggested that we could better understand and interpret the opening chapters of Genesis if we realized that these traditions are primarily stories—ancient stories which have profound wisdom to impart regarding God, humankind, and creation. They are not historical and scientific accounts of… Continue reading

Genesis 2:15-17 “The First Things” (East of Eden) Part 8

(based in large part on the exegesis of Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann) In an earlier sermon I shared with you the consensus of Old Testament scholars that these opening chapters of Genesis represent centuries of tradition. We now know that the final form of these chapters crystallized during the… Continue reading

Genesis 2 “The First Things” (The Garden of Eden) Part 7

For many years discerning scholars have known that there are two creation stories in Genesis and that these two stories come from different sources. This is no radical, liberal, modern idea. For almost as long as the United States has been a nation some people have noticed the Bible begins… Continue reading

Ruth 4:13-18 “A Subversive Little Story”

There is a story about a Mexican bank robber named Senor Jorge Rodriguez who lived many decades ago. After robbing a bank in Texas, he slipped across the border into his native Mexico. He was pursued, however, by a Texas Ranger whose motto was, “I always get my man!” The… Continue reading

Mark 8:36; Matthew 6:21 “Self-Evident”

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.—That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the… Continue reading

Matthew 5:43-48 “Love Your Enemies?”

It’s right there in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus calls us to love our enemies because God loves God’s enemies. Jesus further states that as we love our enemies, we become children of God. The Greek actually says we shall become “sons of God.” Jesus’ Jewish culture had not… Continue reading

Exodus 3:1‑6 “Listening for God”

On one of my pastoral visits many years ago to a woman who was physically and emotionally challenged, I was confronted with a statement and a question which later caused me to ponder spirituality in a much deeper way than I had so far in my life. Elizabeth told me… Continue reading

Genesis 1: 26-28; 2: 4b-9, 15 “Do We Need to Re-invent Work?”

(Based in part on Matthew Fox, The Reinvention of Work: A New Vision of Livelihood for Our Time.) What do you feel when you hear the word “work”? Perhaps you are among those who feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. Perhaps you even feel that you are making a… Continue reading