Good Friday is dark. The compassionate, merciful, God-man dies a criminal's death at the hands of religious and political leaders. The Messiah, full of despair and feeling deserted by God the Father, cries out, "My God, why have you forsaken me?" Even the earth wept and quaked. Yet somehow, we call it good. Emil Brunner, […]

Confession: I am still in my LL Bean flannel pajamas in front of a roaring fire. It is well past morning. I am thinking about a concept called "idleness aversion." Idleness aversion is something the German sociologist Max Weber called "one of the core ingredients of the modern soul." Oliver Burkeman defines it as "not […]

So much of life is spent trying to gain acceptance from others - our parents, friends, colleagues, children, even strangers. We all want to be seen, known, and accepted, flaws and all. Too often, acceptance feels elusive. And so we try to achieve it. We fit ourselves into molds that will gain acceptance from one […]

Into a world even more violent and divided than ours, the apostle Paul spoke words that are stunningly relevant for us today. Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says […]

Today is Good Friday, the day we remember Jesus and his crucifixion. Scottish preacher Robert Murray M'Cheyne speaks of the darkness of it all: He was without any comforts of God--no feeling that God loved him-- no feeling that God pitied him--no feeling that God supported him. God was his sun before--now that sun became […]

I interrupt my Advent/Christmas messages for this public service announcement: By the time you read this on the Sunday morning before Christmas, I will have spoken at a celebration of life for a beloved member of our community. He was a dad, a son, a friend and a much loved co-worker. He worked as a […]