Authors /
Phyllis Kersten
Phyllis Kersten is a Lutheran pastor in Forest Park, Illinois.
Getting behind Jesus—again
Two of Merlyn's daughters,
members of our church, asked me to visit their mom as the end of her five-month
battle with cancer drew near. Merlyn was 72, and her life had not been easy.
She was widowed at 43 and raised her four children by herself.
When I came to see her, she was
alone, lying in bed by the window in the back room of the house. One of her
daughters introduced me and left.
Sunday, March 4, 2012 (Mark 8:31-38)
I can't fool myself into believing that I've gotten close to the kind of costly discipleship that Jesus is speaking of in Mark 8.
Somewhere over the rainbow
For some Christians the most important characteristic of God is God's "unchangeableness," God the same--yesterday, today and forever.
For myself, I value those instances in which God changes God's mind, "repents," we might even say, of past behavior.
Sunday, February 26, 2012: Mark 1:9–15
What can we possibly find in Mark's terse temptation account to help us in our wilderness wanderings?
Saints with and without halos
It is impossible, I believe, to have another All Saints Day come and go without recalling and giving thanks for those saints without halos—family members, mentors and friends—who were gifts of God ...
What Bartimaeus wanted (Mark 10:46-52)
We see in Bartimaeus's story the same basic elements that are present in the calling of Jesus’ first disciples.
In the Bethany graveyard: John 11:32-44; Revelation 21:1-6a
We can scarcely imagine life without tears. We come into the world crying, and when we are hungry or wet or not held enough—no matter how old we are—we cry....
Flaws and calls and healing
A friend heard I was writing about blind Bartimaeus and asked me a question: “Where do call and healing meet?...
Reaching through the bars: Chicago-area prison ministry
The same Spirit that was upon Jesus, bringing good news to the poor and proclaiming release to the captive, is found among Christians today who have a heart for prisoners and their families....
Off the mountain: Sunday, February 25 Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-43
What did they expect when they set off with Jesus that afternoon? An intimate conversation among the four of them?...
Free Newsletters
From theological reflections to breaking religion news to the latest books, the Christian Century's newsletters have you covered.
Sunday, February 18 (Genesis 45:3-11,15; Luke 6:27-38)
Keeping score and getting even—that’s what enemies do.
Shrubs and scrubs: Sunday, February 11 Jeremiah 17:5-10; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians 15:12-20; Luke 6:17-26
I do not have a green thumb. I don’t speak to my plants. Instead I make them grab their throats, gasping for water, before I recognize their parched condition. Then I drench and almost drown them....