Authors /
Daniel Harrell
Daniel Harrell is senior minister at Colonial Church in Edina, Minnesota, and author of Nature's Witness: How Evolution Can Inspire Faith (Abingdon).
Blogging Toward Christmas: New people
I returned to seminary a few years back to hear a professor teach John’s gospel as a remake of the Genesis narrative. The parallel between Genesis 1 and John 1 is obvious, but if you press forward, the connections run throughout.
December 19, 2013
The simplest answer
As we know, “let there be light” were the first words out of the Lord’s mouth in the beginning. However, few people have taken this literally since, like the Lord, the universe is thought to be infinite with no definite beginning.
But then along came Albert Einstein and Edwin Hubble, who theorized and confirmed how galaxies were receding away from each other over time.
December 16, 2013
December 25, 2013, Christmas Day: John 1:1-14; Hebrews 1:1-4
John’s Christmas story contains no scary angels or shaking shepherds, no Magi bearing gifts, no star guiding their way. There’s no Mary or Joseph, no lowing cattle or humble manger....
December 12, 2013
Sunday, December 22, 2013: Isaiah 7:10-16; Matthew 1:18-25
The Christmas story includes the very sordid tale of an engaged young woman who is apparently cheating on her fiancé. She’s carrying somebody else’s baby....
December 10, 2013
The importance of losing
So it turns out that losing is good for you after all. According to social scientists who study these things, all those participation trophies kids receive for just showing up are not inspiring them to succeed. Instead, the ceaseless praise only protects kids from failure—so that once it inevitably appears, they are so demoralized that the next time it comes close they choose cheating rather than risk failing again.
The gospel has always understood the critical importance of failure in the path to true life.
December 9, 2013
Sunday, December 15, 2013: Isaiah 35:1-10; Luke 1:46b-55; Matthew 11:2-11
The lectionary texts tell us that Advent is a time to look forward to Christ’s second coming rather than back to his first. Yet most churches prefer Christmas pageants to second coming pageants....
December 3, 2013
No vacation from ministry: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Mark 6:30-34, 53-56; Ephesians 2:11-22
July is vacation time for many of us. Anticipating grilled burgers, potato salad, sunshine and seashore can get us through months of occupational drudgery....
July 14, 2009
A new kind of king: 2 Samuel 11:1-15; John 6:1-21
I appreciate the lectionary’s knack for relating Old and New Testament texts, but I have no idea why King David’s adultery with Bathsheba is coupled with Jesus feeding the 5,000 and walking on wate...
July 14, 2009
Pressed into service: 2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Why does Paul resort to both shame and pride to raise money for the Jerusalem church?
June 27, 2006
Power source: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10
The closest I get to the kind of religious experience the apostle Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 12 is the occasional Sunday when the music and the congregation merge in worship that is unrestrained praise. I especially enjoy communion, since the Eucharist itself is designed to anticipate heaven. With our sins confessed and forgiven, peace made and prayers prayed, we experience an unusual unity with God and with each other. It’s a taste of paradise.
June 27, 2006
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