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A Better Lord’s Prayer
Is it time to change the Lord’s Prayer? “Do not let me fall into temptation because it is I who fall, it is not God who throws me into temptation and then sees how I fell,” – Pope Francis I For many Christians, the ubiquity of the Lord’s Prayer is everything. Because of that, I…
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The Purpose of Punishment
We want punishment to communicate what it can’t. It’s bad at telling us what not to do and fails to tell us what to do. Punishment isn’t the point. The purpose of punishment is to communicate our intolerance of certain behaviors. It is not about feeling good exorcising our demons stealing the dignity of others…
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Rethink the Gospel for Advent 2B- The Long Beginning
Advent 2B | Mark 1:1-8 We dive into Advent with an apocalypse, which is the last thing we expect to receive at this moment. And then follow it up with John the Baptizer, screaming about repentance like a wild man and dunking people in the river. This is about the least “Christmas” the church can…
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The Pain of Memory
The apocalyptic opening to Advent always shook me. Now I realize that this is the whole point. Advent isn’t about the baby, but about us. Advent 1B | Mark 13:24-37 The people collected their weapons. The secret gatherings swelled with supporters coming from all over the hill country. The ragtag militia was beginning to look…
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Civility isn’t the problem
In all the diagnoses floated about the present age, the one which seems the most intoxicating is a lack of civility. Here’s why that’s just off the mark. You know the experience. The person in line in front of you is terribly rude to the clerk. Then you find them crying in the parking lot.…
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The Wrong Question
We describe hope with the futility of optimism or as the paragon which keeps us alive. Rarely do we talk about what hope really is. My son asked to play tennis with me. And let’s be honest, the couch was comfortable. I just sat down. But… I said “Sure, Buddy!” and turned to his sister…
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Rethink the Gospel for Advent 1B – The Same Old Same Old
Mining the Same Territory After spending the last month preaching about keeping awake and preparing for the coming of Jesus, to have Advent 1 start with the exact same message is strangely consistent. For those of us who use the Revised Common Lectionary, we get a gospel for the first Sunday in Year B which…
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Talentless
In the parable of the bridesmaids (Matthew 25:14-30), Jesus gives a chilling picture of the kin-dom which is more “what not to do” than it is “how to be a Christian”. Proper 28A | Matthew 25:24-30 If I entrusted you with a key to our home while we go away on vacation, what do I…
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