Jesus has come not to be just one more king (or prime minister or president or whatever). He has come rather to usher in an entirely new order, characterized by new hope, grace and above all love – the kind of love that never gets tired of extending and receiving second chances.

The fact is, we do not know what the future holds for each of us, whether conflict or peace, comfort or hardship. But we can face it with confidence, assured that whatever comes, God is faithful. We may not know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future. Come what may, God will meet us, will be with us in our need, and will give us the words and strength and courage we need to face what we must face. “In the world you will have trouble,” Jesus assures us, “but t

William Willimon, former chaplain at Duke University, tells about the time Carlyle Marney came to his campus. A student asked, "Dr. Marney, would you say a word or two about the resurrection of the dead?" Marney replied, "I will not discuss that with people like you." "Why not?" asked the student. "I don't discuss such matters with anyone under 30." Marney explained, "Look at you, in the prime of life, potent - never have you known honest-to-God failure, betrayal, impotency,

Proper 16C: Luke 13.10-17 “Now, don’t go getting any ideas.” That’s the message the synagogue leader has for everyone gathered who’d just witnessed the healing of the crippled women. “Not here, not today, not for the rest of you. It’s not right. It’s not proper. It’s the Sabbath. You’ve got six other days to be healed. The Sabbath is off limits. Come back tomorrow.”   Can you imagine seeing someone who’s disabled, who’s been disabled for years, getting healed, cured of their

"I have come to set fire to the earth, fire! Oh, I can’t wait to see it all up in flames! Do you think I've come to bring peace? No! Peace is boring! Strife, division! I've come to split up families, divide homes, turn father against son, mother against daughter. Fire! Fire!” Luke has, believe it or not, softened Jesus’ words, for in Matthew’s version Jesus sounds downright violent: "I came not to bring peace, but a sword." A sword!  

“Teach us to pray,” the disciples ask in this morning’s Gospel. Jesus usually teaches his disciples without their asking to be taught. But with prayer here, it’s different. In this case, the disciples know that they don’t know how to pray, at least they don’t know how to pray like Jesus, so they ask him for instruction.  

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (Spanish, 1618-1682),  The Holy Family with a Little Bird , c. 1645–1650 The great Spanish painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo was the youngest of fourteen children of a Sevillian barber, Gaspar Esteban, and his wife, Maria Peres. In 1627, his father died, and a year later came the death of his mother. Because his elder sisters and brothers had already grown up and left home, the ten-year-old Bartolomé was adopted into the family of his aunt, who was m

The Baptism of Christ, early 6th century. Ceiling mosaic, Arian Baptistery, Ravenna, Italy. Photo: Peter Milošević Mark 1:1-8   John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his wa

Matthew 25:14-30   Jesus said:   “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground