Authors /
Austin Crenshaw Shelley
Austin Crenshaw Shelley is associate minister for Christian education at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia.
Arise and come away (Song of Solomon 2:8-13)
We are human beings, wired for sensual interaction.
Needing a warrior God (Ephesians 6:10-20)
The armor of God and the violence of the Bible
August 29, Ordinary 22B (James 1:17–27)
Hearing the word and doing it aren’t as far apart as Martin Luther thought.
August 22, Ordinary 21B (Psalm 84)
In Psalm 84, an expectant swallow makes her nest in the temple.
Mary’s fear and desperation (Luke 1:39-55)
Is it hard to obey the angel's command, "Do not be afraid"?
Tell us about yourself, John (Luke 3:7-18)
It's a great question to ask people. But not this person.
December 16, Advent 3C (Luke 3:7-18)
“If we can’t afford two boxes,” my grandmother said, “we can’t afford one.”
Lamb and Shepherd
“You, Lord, are both Lamb and Shepherd.” So begins “Christus Paradox,” a hymn penned by Sylvia Dunstan more than three decades ago. According to notes on the hymn text, Dunstan first scribbled down the lyrics--rich with paradoxical, tension-laden images of Jesus--while she rode the bus home after a difficult day of prison chaplaincy.
The courage of Ananias
"I dream of walking the streets of Damascus," sighed a Syrian refugee whose radio interview I heard on my evening commute. His voice trailed off into a wistful silence. I had been engrossed in his story, but at the interview's end, my mind connected the refugee's lament and longing for a Damascus road story of long ago.
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April 17, Fourth Sunday of Easter: Psalm 23; Revelation 7:9-17; John 10:22-30
A shepherd’s staff has a crook for drawing the sheep away from danger, and a blunt end for prodding them toward places they would rather not go. This week’s texts embrace the tension between the two in the shepherd’s role.
April 10, Third Sunday of Easter: John 21:1-19
As we encounter the post-resurrection Jesus in this week’s Gospel, brokenness and disappointment permeate—brokenness as thick as the morning mist off the Sea of Galilee, disappointment as pungent as the smell of fish.