Reflections for

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Oct 11, 2015

Job 23:1-9, 16-17; Psalm 22:1-15; (Amos 5:6-7, 10-15; Psalm 90:12-17;) Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31

Books

Through the Eye of a Needle

Wealth, the Fall of Rome, and the Making of Christianity in the West, 350-550 AD

by Peter Brown

Discovering the poor

May 02, 2013 by Walter Brueggemann

Peter Brown considers the fourth-century church's radicality concerning wealth—and its readiness to adapt as circumstances seemed to require.

Blogging Toward Sunday

Solidarity in pain

Psalm 22:1–15

Oct 08, 2012 by Kathy Wolf Reed

There is no denying that in today’s world a culture of loneliness and isolation plagues individuals of every age, race and socioeconomic status. Although the church provides a sacred community that may help combat this loneliness, even the most devout believers have, at one time or another, questioned how or even if God is present in their suffering.

Living by the Word

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Psalm 22:1–15

Oct 02, 2012 by Kathy Wolf Reed

Our church’s Deacon Care Manual includes a brief section titled “What Not to Say to Someone Who Is Grieving.” It lists some grief responses that we’ve probably all used at some point:

“It’s all part of God’s plan.”

“God will never give you more than you can handle.”

“I know exactly how you feel.”

On Art

A Camel through the Eye of a Needle

Aug 17, 2012 reviewed by Lois Huey-Heck

Jesus said to the disciples, “The truth is, it is difficult for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of heaven.”  —Matthew 19:23–24

Using the medium of baked clay and a style akin to political satire, Charles McCollough offers a humorous and somewhat biting image of trying to have it both ways. The men are “dressed like rich men in a Monopoly game,” says artist McCollough. They are caricatures of our stubborn drive to hold on to possessions and power—even while we attempt to show ourselves to be faithful. It’s as true of nations and individuals now as it was in Jesus’ day. “Of course, the camel is leery of the project of getting pulled and pushed through the needle’s eye,” says McCollough. Perhaps this is the part of us that knows our allegiances are divided. A Camel through the Eye of a Needle appears in McCollough’s latest book, The Non-Violent Radical: Seeing and Living the Wisdom of Jesus.

—Lois Huey-Heck

On the Shelf

A review of Everyday Justice

Oct 08, 2009 by Robert Cornwall
Every decision we make is an ethical decision, which forces us to choose whether we will act out of love or end up denying th
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Revised Common Lectionary © 1992 the Consultation on Common Texts. Used by permission.