We want—and, indeed, need—time for ourselves. Self-care is important! And Christ shows us a model of sacrificial living that may well feel exhausting: when do I get time for me,…
“[W]hen the sabbath was over” (16:1), the women bought what they needed to finish the unfinished burial rites. They couldn’t finish! The law made them unable to finish. The traditional…
“What is truth?” Oh, it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. In Jesus Christ, Superstar, what Pilate goes on to say has always stuck with me: “We all have truths! …
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Those are funeral words, graveside words, goodbye words. I’ve baptized many, marking them with water. Today, I mark you with ashes. Nothing in Scripture…
The Offering of Common Kindness—Mt 25:31-46 In the age of cellphones, it’s even easier to pass by people who may be in need. Surely, they have phones too. Surely, there’s…
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven” (7:21). That hurts. Does that mean that you can believe you’re being a faithful follower all your…
Child of the ‘70s that I am, Star Wars was a big event in my young life, especially the spectacular climax: how could those big, bright torpedoes go down those…
It’s not judging when one person says to another: that’s a really rotten thing you just did. It’s not judging to say you’re hurting our relationship and you’re hurting yourself. …
Mercy forgives. Forgiveness does not undo the consequences of our sin; this is why you and I must struggle, continually, against those impulses to sin that come and knock, like…
“One in heart and mind” (4:32) is how we speak of people close as can be. We tend to reserve that sort of talk for those very much in love. …