After four years of a national nightmare, at noon on January 20, 2021, most of the United States (as well as most of the world) can breathe a collective sigh of relief. We can look forward to our eyes, ears, hearts, and very souls no longer being assaulted on a daily, if not hourly basis, by a constant barrage of lies. Continue reading
(“O Holy Night” is my favorite Christmas carol. Both the music and the words are incredibly moving. The background to this familiar Christmas song is intriguing. Most of the following story is based on research done by scholars interested in religious musicology. There may be some debate and questions regarding… Continue reading
I love my country, but I love people more. I love my country, but I love the world more. I love my country, but I love the God revealed in Jesus Christ more. I have never understood how those professing a faith in Jesus constrict their love to national borders… Continue reading
This woman, “no bigger than a hummingbird” (as Rachel Maddow described her), was also as energetic and busy as a hummingbird in her attempt to achieve “liberty and justice for all.” She was immensely intelligent, but it was not her intelligence that was most important. Continue reading
The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus can be compared to a play with three acts. (I first heard this suggestion to approaching this particular parable in a New Testament class I took at seminary which focused on the parables of Jesus.) We are presented with a very wealthy… Continue reading
One of Jesus’ favorite ways of teaching was through parables. Parables were used by other teachers in Judaism. However, Jesus’ parables seem unique. His parables were almost always about situations involving common people: a shepherd looking for a lost sheep; a woman kneading yeast into flour; a peasant awakened by… Continue reading
Jesus begins this parable with a statement of blessing– “A certain rich man’s lands brought forth bountiful crops.” The word used for “land” is not the usual term agros. No, the word used is chora a term which means extensive holdings, as much as a whole district or region. So,… Continue reading
One of my favorite actors was the late Christopher Reeve. Most people remember him as Superman, a character he played in four Superman movies from 1978-1987. He has been described as a Renaissance man gifted with intelligence, talent, athletic abilities, and integrity. His career was drastically curtailed by a horse-riding… 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 Exodus was the pivotal event in the Hebrew Scriptures. In that act of deliverance God freed the Hebrew slaves from Egyptian bondage. The Exodus became the foundation for Israel’s understanding of God and for their ethical approach to life. Repeatedly the people were told in their tradition that they… Continue reading
