When the Towers Fell–A Prayer for 9/11

  God over all, when the towers fell it seemed our world changed. We remember where we were when we first heard, when we saw the fearsome sight, when what we might have thought unassailable crumbled to dust. The shock and awe of those scenes haunt us still. Yet, as we draw near to you …

The Gospel–Whole or Partial?

Do we want the whole gospel?  Or will we pick and choose gospel-elements that seem most helpful or pertinent to us?  Will we settle for less than the Messiah Jesus intended in his life, death and resurrection?  Or will we, by grace, pursue and expect a new way of living as human beings that requires …

Living the Resurrection-Story

The Jesus story declares that the human story does not end with death!  To be sure, death looms largely within the story.  Along the way we read of people dying, and as the story moves forward Jesus begins to make ominous predictions of his own death.  The simple, sad, and undeniable fact of life appears …

A Barren Tree and a Barren Temple

Why did Jesus pick on the poor fig tree?  Especially when it wasn’t time for figs to be ripe?  Well, Mark tells us Jesus was hungry (Mark 11:12).  Apparently, then, Jesus became “hangry?”  He saw the leaves and went to see if by chance this tree fruited earlier than usual.  Then, when it didn’t, Jesus …