Liturgy of the Passion (Year A, RCL)

Whatever the historical reasons for the crucifixion, the Christian tradition has always insisted that one of the reasons Jesus died is me. 

What is a preacher to do with Palm/Passion Sunday?

Matthew’s Passion doesn’t show us Jesus’ reactions. We just see his pain and hear his silence.

The incarnation pulls my attention away from ideology and toward my neighbor.

I am struck by how Christ’s desert experience relies on inner convictions resisting an external voice.

A conversation with Brandan Robertson about privilege, discipleship, kenosis, and more.

Perhaps the psalmist is referring to limestone, important to ancient civilizations for construction and also as an agricultural and dietary aid.

What do we do with our powerlessness?

We live with a clear-eyed hope that refuses to squint in the face of suffering.

In catacombs, crypts, and ossuaries, I’ve seen the ugliness of death transformed into something beautiful.

A dead shepherd isn’t helpful to anyone, least of all to the sheep left behind.

Holly Carey turns up the brightness on the most faithful disciples in the gospels: the women.

Surely God isn’t a narcissist who demands our attention.

Paul’s words about humility should be handled with care.

Minister and veteran David Peters invites us to consider our own post-traumatic identities in a new light. 

In Oberammergau, the keepers of a centuries-old tradition have made
big changes—including efforts to expunge antisemitic material.

What ritual remedies exist to sharpen our spiritual attention, focus, and clarity?