bible – Page 3 – Mother A Writes

Changing Minds

A vibrantly colored painting of a man in the middle of falling from the back of a horse, looking up at a bright yellow figure of Jesus with arms outstretched as if on the cross

Acts 9:1-6, (7-20) I am convinced that one of the hardest things to do in this world is change your mind. Something that might be even harder is admitting aloud that your belief or opinion has changed from what you once fervently professed. We are not rewarded for it, either socially or by our ownContinue reading “Changing Minds”

Scars & Tattoos

John 20:19-31 After the events of Holy Week, and the impossible news of Easter, I can’t blame the disciples for hiding away together. As a pastor, I understand the instinct. The events of Jesus’s final days before his death, the sham trial and gruesome execution, the long day of waiting and the baffling witness ofContinue reading “Scars & Tattoos”

Being Made New

Luke 24:1-12 Why do you look for the living among the dead? The messengers of God may be dazzling, but they don’t seem to have much tact. The women come to the tomb carrying spices, after weeping their way through the Sabbath, faces tear stained and eyes puffy, with the intention of seeing their friendContinue reading “Being Made New”

The Devil is a Liar

John 18:1-19:42 Yesterday, we heard that the devil had put it in the heart of Judas to betray Jesus, and today we bear witness to the outcome of that betrayal. “The Devil made me do it,” a phrase popularized by a comedian in the 70s, has long been a tongue-in-cheek way of excusing minor infractions,Continue reading “The Devil is a Liar”

In Remembrance of Me

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 & John 13:1-17, 31b-35 Do this in remembrance of me. In Paul’s letter to the Christians in Corinth, we have the earliest mention of the Eucharist, Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper. Paul was writing almost a generation before the Gospel of John was written, and decades before Mark or Luke or MatthewContinue reading “In Remembrance of Me”

Will We Join the Party?

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 A teacher once told me that until you can explain something to a child, you don’t really understand it. CS Lewis, another great teacher, believed most ardently that good children’s stories were only good if they could mean just as much to the adults reading them as the child being read to.Continue reading “Will We Join the Party?”

Temptation at Lunchtime

Luke 4:1-13 In C. S. Lewis’s book The Screwtape Letters, Lewis imagines what the correspondence between two demons might look like. They discuss humanity with contempt, all the while obsessing over the actions, choices, and beliefs of the individual humans they are charged with leading away from God, or as they call him, the Enemy.Continue reading “Temptation at Lunchtime”

For Love’s Sake

Luke 9:28-36, [37-43a] For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved one particular prayer in the prayerbook more than any other. It is found in the Compline liturgy, prayers for the close of the day, which was prayed before bedtime every night at my summer camp growing up and at the end of everyContinue reading “For Love’s Sake”

Staying Soft-hearted

Genesis 45:3-11, 15 & Luke 6:27-38 Some authors claim that the teaching to love our enemies is the only entirely original and unique teaching of Jesus. These scholars point out that nearly everything else Jesus teaches can be found in the writings of the Old Testament, and much of the same teachings can be foundContinue reading “Staying Soft-hearted”

Winnowing

Luke 3:7-18 There’s nothing like getting called a brood of vipers to really get you in the holiday spirit! The lectionary keeps reminding us that yes, the birth of the Christ Child is just around the corner, but there’s more to the preparations than decorating trees and baking treats. John, the miraculous child of twoContinue reading “Winnowing”