Heidi Neumark is a Lutheran pastor and writer who says she loves Advent because it is a season that reflects how she feels much of the time. As we anticipate and reflect on the coming of Christ on so many levels — in the nativity, in our hearts, in a future completion of all creation … READ MORE…
Every year I look forward to the Sundays in Advent when we are confronted by John the Baptist, the wild man of the New Testament. There’s something refreshingly unvarnished about John, with his camel-skin coat and his tent-revival preaching. Of all the Gospel writers, Luke tells us the most about John, filling in the miraculous … READ MORE…
I invite you to close your eyes and imagine yourself in a room in your house at night. Do whatever you can to make it as dark as possible — shut the door, close the curtains tightly — and now light a match. Watch its flaring flame, its flickering dance along the walls, and its … READ MORE…
I was in high school when it was suggested that I should have my eyes tested for glasses. The doctor told me that I was near sighted. Not only that, I also have astigmatism. That means that things far away were not only blurry, there were two of them. So I got my first pair … READ MORE…
Let’s think about cats and cucumbers for a minute. A recent viral video is a compilation of clips, each showing a cat discovering a cucumber right behind it, obviously placed there by the person wielding the camera, and reacting in extreme fear: leaping up in the air, climbing the wall, or streaking away. It’s presented … READ MORE…
“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this is but the beginning of the birthpangs.” This week, once again, we might wish that we were only dealing with rumors of war. Instead, we have worldwide words and images and witness to senseless carnage. It is no rumor that on … READ MORE…
Good morning. Last week, we gathered to commemorate the saints who have gone before us and to celebrate the unsung saints still in our midst. Some of us brought fresh grief to the table, and others more seasoned sorrow. And I was left thinking about how both gentle and powerful, comforting and terrifying love can … READ MORE…
“Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said, “Unbind him, and let him go.” St John reaches the climactic moment of his Book of Signs: after water into wine, healings, feedings, and storm-calmings, we now understand that … READ MORE…
It’s really hard to appreciate the strangeness of this Gospel passage if you don’t know where it comes in the overall story. Jesus has been traveling throughout the land, teaching, exorcising, and healing. His reputation has grown, and his disciples regard him with awe. He is now heading for Jerusalem, where, as he has already … READ MORE…
Stacey Simpson is a grown woman who vividly remembers the first time the story of Jesus and the rich man cut through to her heart. She was seven years old, propped up on her pillows and reading her children’s Bible in her comfy bed, when she read the account that we just heard from the … READ MORE…