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
Category: Scripture
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
Our Lady of Guadalupe
A sermon delivered at Wartburg Seminary, on the commemoration of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I invite you to reflect on the image above as a focal point for the sermon: “The Portrait of the Artist as the Virgin of Guadalupe,” by Yolanda López. López imagines Mary as a vibrant, energetic woman of strength, determination and…… Continue reading Our Lady of Guadalupe
Bearing Witness
In my work with the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church, we had many conversations about the word “evangelical,” and the name “Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.” There are strong feelings about both, with plenty of people feeling like we should change our name, and ditch “evangelical” altogether. We heard from many people that the…… Continue reading Bearing Witness
A Christian’s song in a messy, beautiful world
Photo by Valentin Antonucci on Pexels.com Earlier in the week, I was preparing a blog post about the juxtaposition of two hymns that we sang in chapel this week. Both of them were focused on the world, but each of them had a very different message. Here is the first one, from All Creation Sings:…… Continue reading A Christian’s song in a messy, beautiful world
Grief, Forgiveness, Generosity
This is my final blog post related to Henry Nowen’s wonderful book, The Return of the Prodigal Son. If you have been reading my blog for the past month or so, you know that I have been spending time with Nowan’s book and its deep dive into Rembrandt’s painting–and the parable itself. I have really…… Continue reading Grief, Forgiveness, Generosity
To Whom Do I Belong?
This post continues my reflections on Henri Nowen’s book on Rembrandt’s painting, The Return of the Prodigal Son. In his chapter on the leaving of the younger son, Nowen has a section on seeking, and misplaced desire. He starts this section with a question: “To whom do I belong?” “To God or to the world?”…… Continue reading To Whom Do I Belong?
Happy Lutheran 