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 »
MARCH82024
“Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! We easily say that the first commandment is to love. But looking at the text the first commandment of Jesus is to “hear.” This is not nit picking because it serves as a reminder that all that we do… Read More »
MARCH72024
I have sent you untiringly all my servants the prophets. Yet they have not obeyed me nor paid heed. The prophet Jeremiah found that people didn’t respond well when challenged to change. God reminds the prophet that it was always thus. And it is still thus. Vivid in my mind are news images of the… Read More »
MARCH62024
Henry David Thoreau once wrote “That government is best which governs least.” That philosophy has guided American politics leaving a distaste for laws which some wags call government interference in life. Let everyone do what they think best — only legislate when it impacts others. That was not the way the Jewish people thought about… Read More »
MARCH52024
One sad fact of life in Chicago is that almost every day there is a family on the news who are mourning their child/spouse/parent/relative who has been killed by violence. “We want justice for our loved one,” is a common request. A very understandable request. However, remember back almost ten years ago when a gun… Read More »
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