A reflection Matthew 14:22-23, Jesus’ encounter with his disciples on a stormy Galilean Sea. One way to read this text is as an exhortation to have more faith, to be more trusting. We would be better disciples if we just tried harder. But, I don’t read it that way. I think it is actually a…… Continue reading It’s not about trying harder
Category: Jesus
One Trillion Dollars
“Elon Musk officially became the world’s first trillionaire, reaching a net worth upwards of $1.1 trillion to $1.4 trillion. This historic wealth milestone was driven by the massive initial public offering (IPO) of his aerospace company, SpaceX, on the Nasdaq, combined with his substantial existing equity in Tesla.” How much is one trillion dollars ?…… Continue reading One Trillion Dollars
Being Held to Christ’s Bosom
Karoline Lewis, professor at Luther Seminary and a great lover of John’s Gospel, was the speaker at the Large Church pastors gathering a few weeks ago, and she shared something in her presentation that really struck me, and I wanted to share it, especially as another academic year has come to a close and this…… Continue reading Being Held to Christ’s Bosom
Faith and Truth
Three vignettes; three perspectives on religion, on faith. Easter Sunday, a retirement village in Gettysburg. The previous chaplain there was Lutheran, and the new chaplain most emphatically is not. His background is Church of God, so he has a much more Pentecostal/Evangelical flavor to his preaching. His sermon consisted of the story of a man who…… Continue reading Faith and Truth
Saturday’s Holy Silence
Today, words fail. Today is holy silence, holy darkness. Today, we ponder the mystery of death: that step into the unknown, that which lies beyond our grief, our loss. Today we consider the veil that separates life from death; today, it is as thin as it ever will be. This is the moment of great…… Continue reading Saturday’s Holy Silence
A Thought for Judas
Today is Good Friday. And, as always today, I am thinking of Judas. I have both written and preached about Judas before, and I have a heartfelt theological interpretation about him that always surfaces today in particular, but it actually informs much of my theological understanding of salvation in its entirety. There is a medieval…… Continue reading A Thought for Judas
Faith and Doubt
“German 15th Century, Doubting Thomas, c. 1460, hand-colored woodcut, Overall: 6.8 x 5.5 cm (2 11/16 x 2 3/16 in.) overall (external frame dimensions): 39.4 x 31.8 cm (15 1/2 x 12 1/2 in.), Rosenwald Collection, 1951.10.2” Yesterday I preached in chapel on the “doubting Thomas” text: you remember the story. Thomas misses Jesus’ appearance…… Continue reading Faith and Doubt
We Are All Jonah
I want to offer a brief reflection on a great sermon that my colleague Sam preached in chapel yesterday on Jonah 3:1-10. It was a perfect sermon for the Lenten season, as we reflect on our own relationship with God and with others, repenting of where we have sinned and fallen short. Here is the…… Continue reading We Are All Jonah
A Sermon on the Sheep & the Goats
Photo by Anil Sharma on Pexels.com A sermon on Matthew 25:31-46; the sheep and the goats. One of the gifts of the lectionary is that, often, we who preach, teach and study Scripture are brought into uncomfortable proximity with texts that challenge our understanding of the gospel and Christian discipleship. It is a gift, but…… Continue reading A Sermon on the Sheep & the Goats
A Christian Imagination
This frigid windy winter morning, I got up early and met other colleagues from Wartburg Seminary down at the Grand River Center for Dubuque’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration. I was really looking forward to the keynote speaker, The Rev. Dr. Joy Jittaun Moore, whom I had met previously through her connection with…… Continue reading A Christian Imagination
Happy Lutheran 