“For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” (Romans 3:28)
In the history of Christianity, in the history of the entire world of religious beliefs, there is no more profound, no more radical statement than this verse from the apostle Paul in his monumental letter to the Romans. A…
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Jesus could see the shocked look on His disciples’ faces. “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” They had just watched an earnest, seeking, religious young man turn away with a long face on hearing Jesus say, “Sell all your possessions, give the money…
Riches and religion are on the Gospel table with morning with this question from a rich young man: “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” That’s a reasonably religious question. Religion is about doing good to earn God’s favor. Jesus is a good teacher, the source authority (it…
“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” Now there’s a lead question, don’t you think? When I’m confronted with a question like that, my first response is to ask, “Why are you asking?” There is really no safe way to answer this question without getting sucked into the quagmire…
This morning’s Gospel text presents us with a kind of musical piece in three movements or a play in three acts. Or maybe think of an appetizer, the main course, and some seasoning. That’s it! Appetizer, main course, and seasoning. They are three different sayings that just happen to be together…
First there was the transfiguration. Jesus shining brightly on a mountain, the radiance of God’s glory emanating from Him. Peter, James, and John saw it. Then there was the demon the disciples’ couldn’t cast out and a crowd that had its doubts about Jesus. And the disciples too.
And then…
At first glance, our Gospel reading this morning would seem to be about demon possession and exorcism. It’s about a boy with a troubling demon that causes epileptic type seizures and even attempts to throw the boy into fire or water. That’s serious, scary stuff. What makes this even scarier is that…
“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.” (Isaiah 35:5-6)
“He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”…
It seems counterintuitive at first. Opposite the way we would think about it. We think that what defiles us, what soils us, what makes us “unclean,” comes from outside ourselves. After all, when it comes to dust, dirt, and grime, we don’t get dirty from the inside out, but from the outside…
“This people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me.” Isaiah 29:13.
“”You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” Mark 7:1-13
Tradition. You can almost hear Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof belting that…