Fidelity
A decade ago, on an early December day, I received a call from the local funeral director. A man from the neighboring town had died after an extended illness. He was a Vietnam veteran who had long suffered symptoms of trauma from his war experience. The family had no pastor: was I available? I was[…]
Applying God’s Forgiveness to the Sin of Racism
Some of the Pharisees near him said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains. –John 9:40-41 Those of us who are white Christians in America need to accept God’s[…]
Nelson Johnson on Forgiveness
“My hope for Greensboro is that this horrific experience, this tragedy in the taking of five lives, can be transformed by the power of the Spirit, into a case where there is more generosity, and more justice, and more respect for the essence and the dignity of humankind.” –Rev. Nelson Johnson Reverend Nelson Johnson[…]
Forgiving Other Generations May Be Necessary In Order to Forgive Our Partner
In his excellent piece, “The Process of Forgiveness in Marriage and the Family,” psychologist Dr. Paul W.Coleman offers an important insight: “Often, a spouse may have to forgive a parent or grandparent before he or she can fully forgive his or her partner. As a rule of thumb,the longer a marriage problem has existed despite[…]
“I See You”
“He has sent me to proclaim sight to the blind.”–Luke 4:18 My friend Susan lived with her family on the African continent for a number of years. She fondly remembers the way people in Botswana customarily greeted each other in the midst of daily life: “I see you!,” they would say, taking care to make[…]
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,[…]
Forgiveness and 9/11
The message, “After Darkness . . .Light,” is inscribed on the plaque next to the pool of reflection, where twin fountains of water rise upward from squares representing the footprints of the World Trade Center towers. The 9/11 Memorial Garden of Reflection in Lower Makefield, Pa, is a beautiful, deeply moving experience for people who enter.[…]
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[…]
Access to God’s Reign, Wholeness in Our Human family
“The spiritual gift of healing is not restricted to those in a specific economic category.” –Dr. Harold Dean Trulear In my post earlier this week, “The Story Within the Story,” I reflected on Mark 5:21-43, the interwoven tales of healing for two “daughters” in God’s family, one the twelve year old child of the synagogue[…]
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[…]
