Yesterday we read about how salvation disturbs unjust economic systems. Today the story continues, and we learn that salvation also disrupts unjust power dynamics. Paul and Silas are thrown in jail....

In our story today, Paul and Silas encounter an enslaved girl who has a “spirit of divination” that is making her owners a lot of money. The spirit in her would...

Scholars call the book of Revelation a work of apocalyptic literature. It is not the genre of zombie wastelands but—from the Greek—the genre of “uncovering.” Revelation works to reveal the truth...

Water is essential to embodied life: Not only are human beings 60 percent water, but we last only three days without drinking it. For those who lived in the semi-arid world...

It appears that Lydia was an immigrant and former slave. To begin with, she shared her name with a region of Asia Minor known for her occupation: the production of purple...

We jump into the Acts narrative shortly after the Council of Jerusalem where, guided by the Holy Spirit, the early church agrees to include Gentiles in its community of Jewish Christians...

While John 14 graces us with a blessing of peace, it also holds us accountable. Before Jesus speaks of peace, before he promises the Spirit, he reminds his followers that truly...

As someone intimately familiar with anxiety, I always feel a bit defensive when it comes to Bible passages like John 14. They remind me of how scripture has been weaponized to...

One of my earliest memories from the church is the pastor standing in front of the congregation in his black preaching robe, billowing sleeves swaying beneath his extended arms, reciting the...

Right before Jesus’ farewell discourse to prepare the disciples for his death and departure from the community (John 14:1–17:26), Jesus gives them a deceptively simple commandment: “Love one another.” He doesn’t...