Magazine /

January 11, 2005

Volume 122, Issue #1

Lectionary

What about Zebedee?: Matthew 4:12-23

When fairy tales begin with the familiar phrase “Once upon a time,” they signal a mythical point of departure: the beginning of a great adventure. If Matthew had known this phrase, he might have employed it to introduce the calling of the first disciples, since his version of this story begins with the breathless anticipation of a fairy tale.

The other 'H' word: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42

Gothic cathedral. A gay couple approaches holding hands. “Step aside, please,” say the muscle-bound guards. They speak similar words to an African-American girl, a Hispanic man, a young man in a wheelchair. Then, just as we realize that the two large men are “church bouncers,” the scene fades to black and the tag line reads: “Jesus didn’t turn people away. Neither do we.”

Free Newsletters

From theological reflections to breaking religion news to the latest books, the Christian Century's newsletters have you covered.