In the movie, Chariots of Fire a British team was preparing for the 1924 Olympics. One of the runners refused to enter the qualifying heats because they were being held on a Sunday. He honored the Lord’s Day by complete rest. In doing so he was part of a long tradition going back to the… Read More »

The last part of the Book of Isaiah was probably written after the Jewish people had returned from exile. You sense that they are trying to get right with God so that another tragedy does not befall them. But they seem to have latched on to doing religious practices instead of understanding the “why” of… Read More »

At first blush there seems to be a tension between the instruction from the Book of Deuteronomy to “Choose Life” and the word of Jesus that his disciple must “take up his cross daily and follow me, for whoever wishes to save his life will lose it.” The key to interpreting these two passages can… Read More »

Ash Wednesday. The Beginning of Lent. Each year, in the passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus invokes the traditional practices of Jewish piety: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. These are appropriate for Lent because they have as their aim putting us in touch. Prayer is about putting us in touch with God. As we… Read More »

Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? A French historian, Rene Girard, looked at passages similar to the Epistle of James and concluded that, in general, war is simply a highly organized means of theft. You have something I want so I will take it. He described what he… Read More »

One the prayers in the Gospels which I can fervently repeat is that of the father of the epileptic boy: “I do believe. Help my unbelief.” Believers trust in the love that God has for us, in the mercy that God extends toward us, in the plan of God revealed to us. What did the… Read More »

When I order something from Amazon and they ask for my address I write 2907 S. Wabash. In Marianos when someone wonders why I shop there I say, Oh, I’m close: at 29th and Wabash. On the Fourth of July when I am in Millennium Park for the Independence Day concert if someone should ask… Read More »

“But who do you say that I am?” That really is the question. The Bible might say who Jesus is (“Son of David, have pity on me”). Theologians might describe who he is (the Incarnate Son.). Church Councils might define who he is (Consubstantial with the Father). Creeds might profess who he is (true God… Read More »

Among the foundational principles of the Protestant reformation were the “solas” (the Latin term for “alone”): faith alone, scripture alone, grace alone. The problem with that formulation is that there are some built-in conflicts. For example, the epistle of St. James declares that “faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” The… Read More »

The lectionary is a great gift, dividing the Bible into bite sized bits for each day. It does have one drawback: the structured way the evangelist tells the story of Jesus gets obscured. For example, this week we read from Mark Eight. On Tuesday there was a story of the disciples of Jesus being blind… Read More »