There a whole lot of people today who think that everything revolves around them. Everyone needs to cow tow to them. It is all about them…and always has been. No one, NO-ONE – is more important! They are the center of every conversation. And, if they are not, give them a little while and sit […]

This is the end of the liturgical Church Year. Oh sure some of us will gather together on Wednesday night to give thanks for another year of blessings upon our already blessings…but that day, really isn’t liturgical, as much as it is civil. But “there is always a precedent” for giving thanks…like it is “the […]

In my rather humble estimation, Paul Tillich was one of the finest theologians I ever read. I kind of grew up on him and his writings. One of his writings in particular seems to speak especially to our day and our time. He called his work “The Shaking of the Foundations.” It was about “the […]

Sometimes, people get forgotten. Jerusalem was a company town. The Temple was not only a religious institution – but it was also an economic one, as well. The Temple employed hundreds of employees, if not thousands, during the high holidays. A lot of people do not know that the Temple served as a central bank […]

One of the things I learned a long time ago is that Mark, our first “gospel-form” was written during a highly contentious and portentous atmosphere, one filled with violence and threat. Apocalyptic literature is always for “tough and tumultuous times.” After a day spent talking about “loving your neighbor” and “care for widows and orphans […]

I make all kinds of people uncomfortable when I talk about “money.” People brace themselves for what is to come. I have even been told that my statements can be anti-or-even-counter-productive. Oh well… Hear this: “The size of the gift, the enormity of the sacrifice, the amount of our offering does not buy relationship with […]

Ah, the saints… In Christianity, “saint” has a wide variety of meanings, depending on the context and denomination, of course! The original Christian denotation was “any believer” who is “in Christ” and in whom Christ dwells, whether in Heaven or on earth. The word saint thus would include “all of the baptized.” By that same […]

It is a joyous day! It is a conflicted day! In the morning there was First Communion. Confirmands were present so the congregation could meet and greet them and see them in person. The cake and coffee was celebratory! This afternoon – we gather “again” as our celebration continues….this time for the Rite of Reaffirmation […]

Some of us have been where Mary and Martha are. We understand. We have been – close to death and dying…sometimes “a little too close,” for our own comfort. We know what it is like to feel completely “hopeless.” We know what it is like – to “feel resigned” to what is, even though we […]