The Bible readings assigned for today are about two women caught in untenable situations. In the Old Testament lesson from the Book of Daniel, Susanna finds herself wrongly accused of adultery and threatened with death. The Gospel of John tells the story of a women actually caught in adultery and also threatened with death. The… Read More »
MARCH172024
There is the occasional athlete who, after winning the championship, will say something like, “I want to give God the glory.” Or maybe it is the recording star at the Grammys who says, “Not to us, but to God give the praise.” Perhaps a lottery winner will say, “Thank you, Lord, for letting me win… Read More »
MARCH162024
“Never before has anyone spoken like this man.” Hearing Jesus preach must have been a remarkable experience. We can be envious of those who had the opportunity to do so. However, my old scripture professor once said, If we could trade the four gospels that have in exchange for a video tape of all that… Read More »
MARCH152024
“Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us.” Tearing someone down from their pedestal is not a modern phenomenon but goes back to Biblical times. It comes as no surprise that the media has found fault with political figures like John F. Kennedy, religious figures like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,… Read More »
MARCH142024
Probably the most famous sermon delivered in what is now the United States was delivered in 1741 by Jonathan Edwards, a Puritan divine, entitled “Sinners in the hand of an angry God.” The sermon caused such a sensation that it inaugurated what is known as the First Great Awakening. Fear that God was going to… Read More »
MARCH132024
I recently met a man I knew forty plus years ago. He was in college at the time and, like many young men, was a wild and crazy guy. Now he is happily married for forty years, runs his own business and his son is even a Catholic priest. I had to completely re-adjust the… Read More »
MARCH122024
If it had been me, when Jesus asked the sick man “Do you want to be well?” I would have had some kind of snarky remark. “Well, duh, of course I want to be well.” But then on further reflection, I realize that almost every morning when I look in the mirror I think, “I… Read More »
MARCH112024
Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official in the gospel story is like most of us — asking Jesus to do something for him. His eyes were fixed on his child and Jesus was just a means to his desired end. All too often… Read More »
MARCH102024
There was a psychological experiment where participants were told to watch a video of people passing around basketballs. The researchers asked those watching to count how many times people in the white shirts passed the basketball to one another. In the middle of the video, a person in a gorilla suit walked through the circle,… Read More »
MARCH92024
Your piety is like a morning cloud, like the dew that early passes away. The prophet challenges Israel to look inside and see if their religious actions are changing their hearts, making them more merciful. In the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican Jesus issues a similar challenge. The criterion becomes — am I… Read More »