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The Three Wise Guys (Eating Scripture)
Eating Scripture took a holiday to fast for a few weeks, but returns today with a serious hunger, eager to devour Epiphany! In Epiphany, we are challenged by the fact that what the holiday is intending to deal with is nothing like what people feel on that day. It began as a celebration of Jesus’s…
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Winnowing Forks (Eating Scripture)
Continuing our Advent and Apocalypse theme, we have more from John the Baptizer. Repent, change, because the big guy’s coming up behind me! Notice, too, the season, the demand for fairness. Just the kind of gospel for the “fiscal cliff” negotiations. Eating Scripture is a short video series in which we explore the juicy and…
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Every Hill Made Low (Eating Scripture)
Eating Luke 3:1-6 Back in the recesses of my mind I recall a lyric: Second verse same as the first! A little bit louder and a little bit worse! We ended Year B talking apocalyptic and we begin the new year, Year C, by…talking apocalyptic. Personally, I love it. We just aren’t that used to…
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Advent and Apocalypse
I have been writing and announcing Advent for a few weeks now. I’ve described the primary way the church imagines the season is through the lens of hopeful expectation. Until Sunday, I had refrained from discussing the church’s other focus. That perhaps this season is less about retelling the story of Jesus’s first coming and…
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The Love Apocalypse (Eating Scripture)
Eating Mark 13:1-8 This week, we tackle a gospel we don’t know what to make of, a type of literature we don’t understand, and a meaning for 21st Century American Christians that is consistent with Jesus’s teaching in under 4 minutes. What a workout! This means there isn’t as much time to deal with what…
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For All the Saints
We often refer to two different strains of Christian faith: Catholic and Protestant. These two traditions have very different understandings of saints. To Catholicism (such as Roman Catholics), saints are our intermediaries. They have been elevated by humanity for their godly and miraculous works. Protestantism (such as Presbyterians, Lutherans Baptists, etc.) has downplayed the role…
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The Twofer (Eating Scripture)
Eating a double helping of Mark 12:28-34 and John 11:32-44 We get our choice this week between two texts. One is the lectionary text (Mark) and the other is the text from All Saints’ Day (John) which can be transferred. Most churches I’ve served observe All Saints’ on a Sunday, so I thought I’d do…