Where do we find hope these days? In things torn down, or in things raised up? According to Matthew, yes, and yes. The lessons of Advent seem so divisive, and the stakes seem so high, that I sometimes find it nearly impossible to see past the messages of judgment to the tender compassion of our God. And yet, … Read the rest
Continue reading "The Baptist and the Burning Man" »
What a way to begin ministry together! Consider the stories of faith we’ve heard this morning: a deceitful patriarch Jacob getting his hip put out of joint while wrestling with God, and a strict Paul admonishing his protégé Timothy to suffer for the sake of the Gospel. And then there’s that peevish judge in Jesus’ parable, who … Read the rest
Continue reading "Persevere in Hope" »“What was written in former days was for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope,” wrote the author of the letter to the Romans. Which sounds comforting in a season when I am actively searching for signs of hope. And of course there are plenty: even in the … Read the rest
Continue reading "Things Hoped For" »In these final painful days of our electoral season, when saintliness seems remote from the public sphere, the familiar words of what’s popularly known as the Golden Rule: “do to others as you would have them do to you” seem to take on a special urgency. Mostly because they are the words of our Lord, whose teaching I … Read the rest
Continue reading "Subjunctive Saints" »
