The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. This line from the book of Revelation, written probably around the year 90AD, is a testimony that the Church was founded on the apostles. Since Jesus left us no… Read More »

Who do people say that the Son of Man is?  You can almost picture the disciples raising their hands like eager students. “Oh, I know. John the Baptist. I know. Elijah. I know.  One of the prophets.”  But Jesus is not content with a pre-packaged answer.  But you, he said, you who have seen and… Read More »

Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry began with a vision of God on wheels leaving Jerusalem to be with the people in exile. His ministry ends with another vision, one of restoration: The vision was like that which I had seen when he came to destroy the city…  I fell prone as the glory of the LORD entered… Read More »

As part of the vision that Ezekiel has of the revivifying of the “dry bones” the Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel. This is a development in the faith of Israel. The tradition was that after death… Read More »

Ezekiel, like all the prophets before him, tried to correct and rebuke the people into changing their ways. However, the prophetic vocation had a flip side — comforting the afflicted. Ezekiel looked on the experience of exile as God’s chastisement but also as a purification, a preparation for the new thing God was doing: I… Read More »

When I was in the seminary in the early 70s the county had a facility where day laborers could register their availability and skill and employers could hire who they needed for the day. When I returned to work at the seminary 30 years later the county facility was closed. However, those seeking work would… Read More »

The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre:  Thus says the Lord GOD: You shall die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners, for I have spoken. Ezekiel is part of tradition where the prophets of Israel issue pronouncements about the fate of… Read More »

At the word of the Lord, when the prophet Ezekiel’s wife dies he does not go through the usual rituals of mourning. When the people see this they ask,  “Will you not tell us what all these things that you are doing mean for us?” How typical of human beings — instead of reaching out to… Read More »

The acrobat strung a tightrope across Niagara Falls. “Do you believe I can walk across the Falls on this tightrope,” he asked the gathering crowd. They expressed some skepticism so he leapt on the wire and walked over and back easy as anything. The crowd applauded. He grabbed a wheel-barrow and asked the crowd, “Do… Read More »

In our creeds we profess belief in “the resurrection of the body,” not immortality of the soul. Bodies are important for Christians. That is why we run food pantries, hospitals, clothes banks — not as social work but as a spiritual activity honoring the dignity each individual possesses as an embodied person. On the feast… Read More »