(14 minutes) In the second part of Dr. Martin Luther King’s sermon entitled Loving Your Enemies, he spoke specifically about why we should love our enemies. The following are some the reasons he gave along with some thoughts of my own. So, why does Jesus say that “you may be… Continue reading
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, in an incredibly insightful sermon entitled “Loving Your Enemies,” revealed the wisdom, practicality, and necessity of such radical love. Much of the opposition to such love is based on a miscomprehension of the concept of love in the New Testament. Continue reading
(10 minutes) Luke’s Gospel tells us that as Jesus was being crucified, he prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34) What many people do not know is that these words are not found in some of the most ancient Greek copies of the… Continue reading
The most valuable things in life are free. They are gifts from God to be received, celebrated, lived, and shared. They cannot be bought, earned, or bartered. They come as gifts, or they do not come at all. At this time of the year, we look to those gifts traditionally… Continue reading
Accepting ourselves as loved unconditionally, sacrificially, and eternally by God can be the most difficult step in our Christian pilgrimage. We just can’t believe that such good news is for the likes of us. But it is for us and for everyone else in God’s creation. That is what grace is all about. And it is only as we accept such grace that we will be free to love others, to live victoriously and courageously, and to dance in the light–and even in the darkness. Continue reading
If the eternal nature of God is love and if Jesus came to reveal that self-giving love to the world, God can never be the author of vengeance, violence, or the arrogant use of brutal power. The schizoid Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde Jesus is not found in the New Testament and certainly not in the example and words of Jesus. The perpetuation of this distorted vision of Jesus is one reason so many people in our post-modern world have rejected the church. They know better than to embrace such a contradictory image of God. Continue reading
Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) has captured the hearts and minds of millions of people over the centuries. He certainly is one of my favorite saints. Through the insights of such brilliant Franciscan theologians as Richard Rohr, Francis’ life, teachings, and example have impacted countless persons of all faiths. As a… Continue reading
Read the Scripture On a Sunday morning in October of 1989, I met with the Elders of the Wabash Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) as a part of the process of introducing myself before the church decided whether to call me as its minister. One of the Elders, Bob Plunkett,… Continue reading
We all know that justice without love can become self-righteous and just plain mean. Jesus frequently condemned such mean self-righteousness and warned those guilty of such arrogance that they may be shocked at the “justice” they may receive from a loving and holy God. Continue reading
(15 minutes) Wonder is the reason we seek to know any reality whatsoever. (Nicholas of Cusa) Nicholas of Cusa (1400-1464 CE) was a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church who served in Greece. Because of the prominence of the Greek Eastern Orthodox Church in that part of the world, Nicholas… Continue reading
