Category: Luke-Acts

Being Neighbor

July 10, 2022

Jesus’ asks and answers a different, more fundamental question: “Who is being a neighbor?” In other words, Jesus wants to know which of the three acted like a neighbor to the man who was broken and bruised. Jesus’s storytelling turns the lawyer’s expectation on its head. Essentially, Jesus is completely disregarding the lawyer’s question. Jesus doesn’t want to make a list of neighbors! Instead, Jesus uses the parable to demonstrate a different paradigm: Instead of worrying about who is in and who is out on your list of neighbors, worry about how you are acting as a neighbor! … More Being Neighbor

The Saints of God are just folk like me…

July 3, 2022

4th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (Proper 9, Year C)
There is a shocking generosity in our God to hand over holy stuff to human actors. Elisha, the seventy, and all those we count as Holy Women, Holy Men were special because they donned the mantle of Elijah, put on the Spirit of Christ, and connects others to the living God. We are invited do the same – connect others to God’s abundant and life-giving power. … More The Saints of God are just folk like me…

The Living among the Dead

June 19, 2022

If we are honest, we don’t really have to go far to find those living among the tombs. There are those in our communities, those in our neighborhoods, those inside our churches simply wanting to be seen and heard and given the dignity of any human being. There are those who long to experience healing and compassion in a world that is often forgotten them, disabused them of their identities, and pushed them out of the city. There are those who spend their days and nights in the places of the dead, who long for the good news of Jesus’ love, welcome, and hope. So, the invitation to the man dispossessed is now our invitation. We, having been dispossessed ourselves, are invited to imbue the world and the church with new life, new hope, and new inspiration. We are invited to the boldness of welcoming others from the tombs and loosening the shackles that have kept them bound. … More The Living among the Dead

Breath In, Breathe Out, Move On

June 5, 2022

We are a Pentecost people, the spiritual descendants of the first ones. The Holy Spirit has been given to us so that we can become mighty signs of God’s grace, truth, hope, and joy in the world. So let it be our prayer that the world will see signs of Pentecost in our lives. Let the world hear sounds of Pentecost in our voices. Let the world feel the touch of Pentecost in our deeds. Let the world see the joy of Pentecost in our faces. Let the Spirit of love live through us!  Let the Spirit of truth work justice and peace through us! Let the Spirit of hope overcome fear and pain through us!  … More Breath In, Breathe Out, Move On

Parable of the Gracious Father

March 27, 2022

No matter who might want to be the judge of who is in and who is out, God is ready to throw a massive party to celebrate every stupid sheep, every seemingly worthless coin, and every ingrate child that was lost but is found. God is always ready to welcome me home, whether or not I’m here for the right reasons. God is desperate to be in a relationship with everyone, but we can remain on the outside looking in because of our own expectations, prejudices, and lack of grace. … More Parable of the Gracious Father

The Makarios

February 13, 2022

“Blessed are you!” Blessed are you who embrace the poverty of Jesus, a poverty which allowed him to pour out everything for those he loved. Blessed are you poor who immigrate to find a better life and blessed are you who embrace their poverty in welcoming and friendship. Blessed are you when you hunger for righteousness, justice, and peace. Blessed are you who hunger for equality and just systems, and blessed are you whose hunger leads you to act to end racism, misogyny, and prejudice. Blessed are you when you weep over the suffering of a friend. Blessed are you when you weep over violence between nations. Blessed are you when you weep over the lack of welcome for the stranger or the refugee, when you weep for the injustice that masquerades as “life in the real world.” Blessed are you when people hate you because of who you stand for and what you stand for. Blessed are you when people hate you because you stand with the Prince of Peace and the Just Judge. Blessed are you when people know that you follow Jesus not just because of your words but through your deeds.  … More The Makarios