sin
-
Casting the Second Stone
•
6 min read
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” That’s how we remember the line. The passage from John actually says: “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Close, right? Still totally recognizable. So easy to turn into an aphorism, a saying. Jesus is trying…
-
The Crooked Path
•
8 min read
When we lighten our hearts, when we give away the sin like plaque that’s collected on our arteries, stifling our hearts and destroying our lives, we can breathe. We can run. We can love. Preparing a way for GOD’s kingdom come Advent 2C | Luke 3:1-6 The Beginning We begin again. We end. We begin.…
-
Confession
•
8 min read
“We don’t do confession.” I remember the conversations I used to have as a child about church. And it was usually how we do things differently or what is an E-piss-co-palian? Which always was accompanied with laughter. This childhood was in Alpena, a small city in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Alpena was largely Polish, then;…
-
Possessing the Kingdom
•
7 min read
He’s not mincing words. The Kingdom belongs to them. Not the disciples. Not the Pharisees. Not the Romans. The children. We need to hear these words. How our focus on law and politics misses the real revelation Proper 22B | Mark 10:2-16 The Long Walk is Almost Over The walk from Caesarea Philippi to Jerusalem is…
-
A Poem for Freddie Gray, Baltimore, and all of us
•
2 min read
GUILT When the preacher said “I’m absolutely convinced that a riot merely intensifies the fears of the white community while relieving the guilt.” My white ears hear the condemnation and the righteous call for peace. My poet ears hear the economy of language and concern. My pastor ears hear the prophetic reminding us our guilt…
-
What Ben Affleck reveals about our deepest need
•
3 min read
When I heard that one of Ben Affleck’s ancestors owned slaves, I didn’t even blink. That he didn’t want to share that on national television surprised me even less. In our gotcha era of dualisms and polarities, an outspoken liberal actor/writer/director would be easy fodder for the outspoken conservative media personalities. His deep shame, perhaps…