Where All of Us Belong(s)
As we rise early on this Good Friday morning, I imagine that Simon Peter has not yet slept. Last night at dinner he insisted that even if one of the other disciples would betray Jesus, he would not. In the ensuing argument over who was the greatest, the strongest, and the most faithful, he[…]
Forgiving Place
“Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” –Luke 9:58 Jesus demonstrates the remarkable capacity to be “at home” everywhere. It is a defining characteristic of his ministry. Jesus’ practice of forgiveness is manifested in an openness and availability to all people[…]
The Accountability of Love
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”–John 21:16 “Doesn’t forgiveness let people off the hook ?, ” I am regularly asked; “What will make someone accountable for their actions if they are forgiven before they actually change?” This leads to many fruitful discussions. For the purpose of this post, let me cut to the[…]
Deepwater Horizon
Luke 5:1-11 offers us the compelling narrative of Jesus calling his first disciples. Jesus comes into the story as the place, the person, in whom heaven and earth meet. He perceives the same horizon running through another as he encounters Simon. When Jesus says, “Let’s set out into the deep water and let down[…]
Released for Fulfillment
It is like a snapshot. Luke offers us a portrait of Jesus at age 12, a confirmand of sorts (Luke 2:41-52). It is the only such account of Jesus’ life between toddler-age (Matthew 2) and the advent of his public ministry, when he is around 30 years old. Here is Jesus, to us quite young,[…]
Intercessor
“Jesus answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus answered, “Woman, great is your faith!” –Matthew 15:26-28, NRSV The story of Jesus and the “Canaanite woman” resonated deeply[…]
The Story Within the Story
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you.” –Maya Angelou Our lives are meant to be the stories of God-with-us. To experience the fulfillment of these stories,these relationships, and to be able to share them generously with others in the realm of God’s love, is the substance of salvation. Our stories[…]
Still Time to Rise
“After this Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” —John 21:19 Peter and six of the other disciples have gone back home to Galilee. They go fishing and catch nothing, a metaphor for returning to life as they have previously known it, even in the wake of resurrection. In Jerusalem, Jesus had come to them[…]
Father, Forgive Them
“Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing (Luke 23:34).” Jesus’ intercession for his murderers, made as life flowed from his body, has long been problematic. There is something about our Lord invoking the promise of forgiveness for his crucifiers that vividly brings home the unbounded expanse of God’s love. If you[…]
