Saturday, November 30, 2019
The violin section is by far the largest cohort in a symphony orchestra, and it’s divided into two subsections: first violins and second violins. A young violinist may have to play “second fiddle” early in her or his career. Often, many career musicians have to accept...
Friday, November 29, 2019
When we encounter a grammatical adversative—yet, but, however, nonetheless—we are tempted to discount everything that comes before it, particularly if what follows the adversative seems more appealing.There is a branch of Christian theology known as apologetics—the...
Thursday, November 28, 2019
In John’s Gospel, there is no account of the institution of the eucharist at the Last Supper. But John’s sixth chapter, the Bread of Life discourse, is no less eucharistic than the institution narratives in the other gospels.Through ordinary elements of ….(View...
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
As a child, I learned about a country called Yugoslavia. Children today learn instead about Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Kosovo. National identities suppressed by centuries of empire building and colonization have...
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Without denying the abundance of God’s grace or God’s ability to act independently of human will or human behavior, English clergyman Martin Thornton contends that our growth in the life of grace is something we can take responsibility for through persistent, repeated...
Monday, November 25, 2019
We often think of salvation in terms of the question, “Will I go to heaven when I die?” The word itself points to health and wholeness. (It’s the same root as the exclamation salud! when offering a toast.) Salvation also has meaning in the present. Notice...
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Division and enslavement by sin is the default human condition. It dogs us every day of our lives and at every level of our lives. It mars relationships between people in families, in local communities, among nations, and yes, even in churches. In the collect for...
Saturday, November 23, 2019
The biblical authors employ a wide variety of images and metaphors for how God is or what God is like or how things will be when they are made right, but the descriptions only serve to whet our appetite for what lies ahead. One of Isaiah’s favorite metaphors for this...
Friday, November 22, 2019
Judas Maccabeus and his followers have driven the Seleucid occupiers out of Jerusalem and are surveying the damage. One of the holiest parts of the temple, the altar of sacrifice, has been thoroughly defiled. They decide to tear the altar down completely and rebuild...
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in...
