Scripture
God’s nose
When COVID took my sense of smell, I was drawn to the Bible’s description of God’s.
The New Testament’s most dangerous book for Jews
Reading and preaching Hebrews without supersessionism
October 3, Ordinary 27B (Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12)
Israel’s claim that all people are created in God’s image is strikingly egalitarian.
October 10, Ordinary 28B (Hebrews 4:12-16)
The purpose of the word of God is not to make us feel condemnable, but to help us see what is commendable.
Jesus the poet
We are invited to bring the rich resources of our senses and imaginations into the realm of faith.
September 26, Ordinary 26B (James 5:13–20)
I regularly pray for things that are unlikely to come about quickly, if at all.
A male scholar looks at the Bible’s women
According to James McGrath, unless Jesus was able to learn from others, he wasn’t truly human.
September 19, Ordinary 25B (Proverbs 31:10–31)
Does a good woman give and give and give without thought to her own well-being?
Willimon and Hauerwas’s out-of-season words on pastoral care
Pastors coping with the pandemic need our encouragement, not our carping.
From Dante to Tina Fey, a romp through history with Jesus’ Beatitudes
Blessed are those who read this wise and lovely book.
September 12, Ordinary 24B (Mark 8:27–38)
The cross we choose to bear reveals who we think Jesus is.
When goodness is also lovely
The New Testament has two words for “good.” Knowing the difference between them can help us build a better society.
September 5, Ordinary 23B (James 2:1–17)
Proclaiming God’s abundance or dwelling in perceived scarcity?
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.
August 15, Ordinary 20B (1 Kings 2:10–12; 3:3–14)
Solomon has everything—and still, he seeks transformation.
August 8, Ordinary 19B (2 Samuel 18:5–9, 15, 31–33)
David, Absalom, and the dangers of “hanging between heaven and earth”
August 1, Ordinary 18B (John 6:24–35)
“Trust me!” Jesus says, and the more he says it, the less the crowd is inclined to go along.
Is there no other prophet to consult?
Amid our dying empires and institutions, we might recall the story of King Ahab.
Living between the Bible’s first and last prayers
Most days I hover somewhere between Adam’s “I was afraid” and John of Patmos’s “Come, Lord Jesus.”