(The following sermon was preached on World Communion Sunday many years ago. For the blog I had to update the statistics regarding L’Arche. Jean Vanier is now ninety years old and still lives within the L’Arche community he founded fifty-five years ago.) One of the greatest saints living today is… Continue reading
When I was a pastor I was often asked what I thought about “near-death experiences” (NDEs). We have all heard of these, and some of you may have even had such an experience. The media has certainly capitalized on this phenomenon, and many trees have been sacrificed to print books… Continue reading
There can be little doubt that we live in an age of fear, despair, and cynicism. Beneath the bravado of the “Make America Great” movement led by an unscrupulous demagogue, the convenient denial of the suffering and evil in much of the world, and the fleeting happiness of contemporary Epicureans… Continue reading
I have a terrible confession to make. Ever since I started in the ministry, I have found Easter Sunday to be the most difficult time to deliver a sermon. The main reason is this: I am convinced that Easter can truly happen only to those who have first gone through… Continue reading
The great 20th century theologian Paul Tillich once said that in its infancy, Christianity had only one real rival, and that was the spirit of stoicism. There were many other competing religions, but only one real rival—a rival and threat that has stayed with the church for two thousand years…. Continue reading
Theologian Paul Tillich told the following story in one of his sermons: In the Nuremburg war-crimes trials a witness appeared who had lived for some time in a grave in a Jewish grave-yard. It was the only place he and many others could live, when hiding after they had escaped… Continue reading
“It is only because I can see God entering the darkness of human suffering and evil in his creation, recognizing it for what it really is, meeting it and conquering it, that I can accept a religious view of the world. Without the religious dimension, life would be senseless, and… Continue reading
The great Christian ethicist and theologian Reinhold Niebuhr once said, “Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime; therefore, we must be saved by hope.” As we enter this season of Easter we might benefit from reflecting on these words. During the latter portion of the nineteenth century there was… Continue reading
As we approach Easter, we can only imagine what that first Easter must have been like. The shock, the surprise, the unbelievable joy, and the restoration of trust in the faithfulness of God and the truth of Jesus—all of this must have been the experiences of those who first met… Continue reading
One of the giants of the 20th century was Albert Schweitzer. In his first 30 years he accomplished more in several fields than most people can pull off in a lifetime. He wrote one book in theology, The Quest of the Historical Jesus, which changed the whole course of biblical… Continue reading
