Nov 26, 2018
Today’s gospel reading describes Pilate interrogating Jesus. Pilate and Jesus represent two kingdoms: Pilate represents the kingdom of world, and Jesus represents God’s kingdom. We have our feet planted in both kingdoms, but the question we each have to ask is, “Which kingdom has our loyalty? To which king do we...
Nov 26, 2018
Jesus says, “Don’t worry.” That is harder than it sounds. We worry about food, clothing, housing and a host of other things that seem to matter more than anything else. Thanksgiving seems to provide a one-day break to give thanks for what has gone right in life and suspend worrying about what could happen for at...
Nov 19, 2018
Life will sometimes kick you in the gut. For Jesus’ disciples hearing that the Temple would be torn down was a kick in the gut. We all have something, at some time or another, that will kick us in the gut. Life can be hard. Life for some of us is a lot harder than it should be. Jesus tells us that our present...
Nov 12, 2018
What makes a soldier, a hundred years ago, exchange the safety of a filthy trench to face the death of “No Man’s Land?” What makes a widow share her last bit of bread with an unknown foreigner based on a promise that oil and meal will miraculously appear? What makes another widow give away all the money she has?...
Nov 5, 2018
Eleven dead at a synagogue is a tragedy for many reasons. Perhaps the biggest reason it is yet one more version of the same old, same old story of persecution of God’s people. As old as Egypt and as recent as Pittsburgh, it’s the same old, same old thing. Some churches have decided to respond by arming the ushers....