What does it mean to be free? Several years ago, our beloved Clayton Rice, a retired Presbyterian minister and an unretiring character, said something to me about the Assurance of Pardon. He said he wished the language included a word or two about forgiveness freeing us to be the people of God. And so I … read
This week I began reading a book that has come up in conversation several times in the past few weeks. Jesus and John Wayne, by Kristin Kobes Du Mez, recounts the history of the white evangelical church in the U.S., and how, in the author’s opinion, white evangelical church leaders corrupted a faith and fractured … read
Someone once observed that “[worry] is like a toddler. It never stops talking, tells you you’re wrong about everything, and wakes you up at 3 a.m.” This morning we’re going to look at some treasured words from scripture, the invitation to consider the ravens and the lilies. Beneath those gentle words is a rather strong … read
My pastor friend Nanette says, “As Christians we are confronted with making our Christian faith relevant to how we live our lives. Our faith is not just concerned with saving our individual souls. Our Christian tradition is concerned with making us better persons and calling us to moral behavior, calling us to discern the right … read
Space—the final frontier… With those words began the “Star Trek” television series, which spawned more TV shows and several movies. But back when it began in the late ’60s, creator Gene Roddenberry envisioned a future time when the exploration of not only galaxies but also universes was possible, and because of that widened frontier, the … read
Well, here we are, on this lovely summer day, once again hearing that very familiar story that Jesus told about the Samaritan who did a good deed by helping an injured man. It is a story worth hearing again and again, I think, because it is both anchoring and challenging. It is anchoring because it … read