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Wrapped up in love
The Holy Spirit isn’t a fixer – like we’re gangsters who need someone to clean up our mess.
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Freedom From Fear
When Jesus joins the disciples in John 20:19-31, we shouldn’t put Thomas on trial. It is their fear that reveals a greater doubt.
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This Wednesday of Holy Week 2019
The chief priests and scribes conspire to kill Jesus. Not because they don’t like him. But precisely because they feel justified in wanting to kill him.
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A New Chance
In Luke 21:25-36, we get a vision of the end which usually trips our fears, but Jesus reminds us that he’ll be with us, standing against the fear. In Advent, we begin with the end, because the end is only the beginning. Advent 1C | Luke 21:25-36 There’s a saying: Begin with the end in…
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The Back of the Boat
In the stilling of the storm in Mark 4:35-41, Jesus opens the disciples to the frightening possibility that they were wrong. And it reminds us that Jesus has the same message for us. “Peace. Be still!” The fear Jesus gets his disciples to face is not the storm. It’s change. Proper 7B | Mark 4:35-41…
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Walking on Water
In the story, Jesus walks on water. So does Peter. He is just doing what Jesus did, offering us an option at a time of great fear. Proper 14A | Matthew 14:22-33 The first time I walked on water, I was 16 years-old. I had never done anything so intentional as that before. It was…
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“Fear does not prevent death.”
“Fear does not prevent death. It prevents life.” —Naguib Mahfouz For much of my life, I felt ruled by fear. Like a despot in charge of my life like a banana republic. Fear of alienating myself, of offending my classmates, or never fitting in. Fears which didn’t end when I left school. They persisted into…
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When Love Overcomes Fear
For he was not only feral: he was naked. Not even human. But when they see him, he is clothed and “in his right mind.” Instead of feeling joy and excitement, they fear him. They fear Jesus. They fear that he actually is human. A restored humanity and the work of restoring the whole communityProper…