It’s hard for us to read the story of Mary and Martha without finding fault with Martha. That’s been the traditional Christian interpretation for many years. But we’re not fair toward Martha by finding fault with her – any more than Martha was fair with Mary when she complained about doing all the work. […]
This Sunday’s scripture occurs soon after the Easter resurrection of Jesus. The disciples have left the fear-ridden walls where they hid from the possibility of Roman capture and punishment. They’ve since scattered, to deal with the realities of life without Jesus. But the disciple Peter soon discovers that Jesus isn’t finished with them yet. The […]
This Sunday’s scripture begins with Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer, which seems like an abridged version of what we are used to reciting. (The longer version appears in Matthew 6.9-11 as part of the “Sermon on the Mount.”) This is one of those teaching moments, where Jesus not only teaches his disciples a prayer they […]
FIRST LESSON: Genesis 1.26-27 Human beings are created in the Image of God as a part of what God calls “good.” SECOND LESSON: Genesis 12.1-3 God promises to faithful Abraham that his seed shall the nations of the earth call blessed. THIRD LESSON: Isaiah 9.2, 6-7 Christ’s birth and kingdom are foretold […]
Who is welcome? Who is welcome to receive God’s Love in Christ and, therefore, be part of the community called the Church? That is a question with which Christians and the Church have often wrestled for nearly 2,000 years. In the Early Church, the question revolved around race. Was God’s Love in Christ available only […]