Originally posted on NTStudies:
In Herman Melville’s book Moby-Dick, the narrator, Ishmael, watched with interest the religious obligation of “Fasting and Humiliation” of his whaling companion Queequeg. While many might have viewed Queequeg’s rituals as strange and even comical, Ishmael did not. He observed in them something universal and says, “Heaven have mercy on us…
(Transfiguration: Luke 9:28-36) The second Moses and Elijah show up on that mountain, the entire Jewish tradition of the Exodus and the prophets is brought to bear on this story—and on Jesus’ life and ministry. To understand the story of the Transfiguration, we have to understand the narratives of all three men:
Here is a poem/call to worship for Transfiguration Sunday: The mountain top the shining face the glowing clothes the voice of God speaking from the cloud the commandments etched in stone Sometimes God shows up in ways we cannot deny in a place we can go a light we can see a voice we can…
“So, Joanna, what do you do?” My comfort level with this question depends on the context. In this case, I was at a neighborhood get-together with several new neighbors I didn’t know very well. The 79-year-old man asking the question is active in a local conservative independent evangelical church. The 60ish-year-old man also listening in…
Kansas Senator Mitch Holmes recently imposed guidelines for people who appear before the Senate Ethics Committee. There are some reasonable things in there, like requesting that cell phones and pagers (for those still living in the 1980s) be silenced in the committee room.
Here is a call to Worship based on Micah 6:6-8 With what shall we come before our God? Shall we come with lots of money for the offering basket? Shall we bring our carefully scripted words? Shall we sing on-key in perfect four-part harmony? With what shall we come before our God? With minds set…
I think this story from Nehemiah 8 is absolutely amazing. You have a group of people, hundreds of people, all the people, gathering together not to listen to a concert or watch a show, but to hear the scriptures read. Ezra begins reading: “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth.” And…
I’m irritated that all of the temporary hair color says it will “cover the gray.” I’m proud of my gray hair. I’ve earned it. And as a diminutive female, gray hair can only help my pastoral gravitas. Still, I’d love to be a redhead for a month or so. Where is the hair color that…
There is so, so much in this Epiphany story. Good stuff. And hard stuff. Deep theological insights. Profound truths about the human condition. But this year it is the star that is pulling me in. And on one hand it feels like I should pay attention to some of the more earthly, serious aspects of…
How is the Divine related to the human? How does the omnipotent deal with the vulnerable? What is the relationship of the Creator with the the created? How does the infinite interact with the finite? The Gospel birth narratives—all three of them–give a startling answer. Here’s how John puts it: “The Word became flesh and…
Spacious Faith 