Kin-dom
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Making Home
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8 min read
Jesus’s return home in Mark reminds me of the movie musical, The Greatest Showman. God’s dream is made, not by or for the powerful, but by the misfits for all of us. And for it to work, we must all have a part to play. Jesus and “The Greatest Showman” Proper 5B | Mark 3:20-35…
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Closing in on Justice
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1 min read
CLOSING IN ON JUSTICE The frustrating case of justice delayed, excuses made to slow the pace like cars in both lanes going 15 mph. Never passing, never making room. You imagine my outrage is an isolated incident and you, the right to slow my roll. Adversaries illustrated in India ink —black and white our only…
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In the Kingdom of Earth
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8 min read
In the Kingdom of Earth, selfishness rules and violence is justified. How far such things are from what Jesus offers: a kin-dom of heaven. Proper 22A | Matthew 21:33-46 Several years ago, Rose and I took a trip to northwestern Michigan. We stayed in a bed and breakfast near Traverse City and drove up the…
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Love Poets
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8 min read
Like poets, Jesus invites his followers to observe in our world those places where God breaks through so that we might revel in that joy. Proper 12A | Matthew 13:31-33,44-52 The work of the poet is discovery. After ruthless editing of course. Discovery. It begins first with discovery in the world: observation. The poet watches…