I don’t think it is too far-reaching to describe this familiar pericope as Jesus’ “mission statement.” The pieces are all there. When creating a mission statement, it is important to know...

Jesus returned to Galilee, and “a report about him spread through all the surrounding country.” Wait, Jesus had been gone forty days and we know he wasn’t livestreaming his experience, so...

The psalmist beautifully describes creation in a posture of praise and worship. If we close our eyes, we can almost see the sun in all its splendor responding to the call...

Today we commemorate the life and legacy of one of the greatest prophets of our time—the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In gratitude for all he sacrificed, we call out...

The world-bending words at the beginning of John’s Gospel announce the incarnation of God—Christ on earth walking in neighborhoods and the countryside. The Messiah among us, the Word become flesh—what could...

Paul lists famous gifts: wisdom, faith, knowledge, healing, miracle-working, prophecy, discernment, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. Apparently some of these gifts were disruptive enough that they needed calling out. Presumably other...

One time a tearful reader called with a question: “Do you think my Rudy is in heaven?” Rudy had died unexpectedly during routine surgery. Rudy was only eight years old. Rudy...

I can almost hear Paul sighing as he gazed upon the bickering scene at the Corinthian church and was forced to sort it out. Apparently some churchgoers were lording their gifts...

Gilead, Nineveh, Damascus, Beersheba, Galilee. The place names of the Bible echo back to Sunday-school childhood and thousands of years before that—names forged out of the mysterious encounter of human and...

“Providence”—the word has always drawn me in. It has a big inclusive embrace, a protective sweep. I also sense the word is out of favor these days. Maybe belief in luck...