Put yourself in the disciples’ sandals. It’s now 43 days since Easter Sunday and the startling good news: The Lord is risen. Last Thursday, Jesus disappeared into a cloud. Vanished in a cloud. For forty days you saw Him, ate with Him, touched Him, talked to Him, basked in His…
Two questions for this Thursday evening forty days after Easter: So what? Now what? “So what?” might be more in the lips of those who do not believe, or those who don’t see the point for making such a fuss for a holy day that always falls on a Thursday. Couldn’t…
Love. We toss the word around so carelessly, thoughtlessly. We talk about falling in love, being in love. We say, “I love you,” but what does that mean? Is it a feeling, a fact? We say we love God, but what exactly does that mean? The word “love” seems…
Jesus the vine; we the branches. He the source of life, we the ones who live in Him. The image takes us out to wine country, to the rolling vineyards lush with grape vines. Fruitful branches thick with grapes growing on an old, gnarled vine with roots that reach deep into the…
Jesus the vine; we the branches. He the source of life, we the ones who live in Him. The image takes us out to wine country, to the rolling vineyards lush with grape vines. Fruitful branches thick with grapes growing on an old, gnarled vine with roots that reach deep into the…
Today is Good Shepherd Sunday on the liturgical calendar. Traditionally it was the third Sunday of Easter, which would have been last week. Don’t ask me how or why it was changed. The Latin name for the Sunday was Misercordias Domini, which has a nice ring to it even if you don’t…
How do you know something is true? That’s a big question these days, when truth seems to have taken on the consistency of Jello. Some people think the only way to the truth is science. That’s why the phrase “studies have shown” is so compelling. Even if you never see the…
There are two kinds of evidence for the resurrection of Jesus - negative and positive. The negative evidence is the open, empty tomb, the grave cloths folded and set aside, the head covering folded separately, and most important of all, no body. If there had been a body, there is no doubt the…
Temptation. Have you ever been tempted? Of course you have. You may as well admit it. Temptations come big and small. Cheat on the income tax. Cheat in the exam. Crib the term paper. Lie about the business deal. Cheat on a spouse. Fudge the…
If you wanted to find Jesus on a Sabbath day, you went to the synagogue. The synagogue was the “gathering place.” That’s what the word “synagogue” means, a place to gather. We would say, “congregation.” Every sabbath day Jesus went to the congregation. Even if it was “Super Bowl Saturday”…