I sometimes find Paul’s writings less appealing than other parts of scripture; he doesn’t hesitate to challenge or complain, and some of his admonishments are hard to grasp outside their ancient...

The history most of us learn in school takes us from war to war, from conqueror to king, and shows us how governments and empires rise and fall. It is an...

I love the word dwelling. It invites and it implies resting, enjoying, pausing, pondering, and making oneself at home. My own history of packing and moving, relocating, and making homes in...

Wendell Berry’s story “Pray Without Ceasing” begins with the narrator’s memory of his grandfather, who would sit beside him when they met, clap him lightly on the leg, and greet him...

Each of us is irreplaceable; each of us can be replaced. Both these statements are true, and both are important for us to remember as we look around at those we...

In this passage, Jesus asks to see the coin used to pay the taxes to the emperor. He asks what image is on the coin and counsels to “Give . . . to...

Our passage today is from Paul’s letter to the Christian converts in Thessalonica—one of his earliest missionary journeys. Paul affirms the people: “You became imitators of us and of the Lord,...

This passage from Matthew’s Gospel finds Jesus back in Jerusalem in the last week of his life. He has cleansed the Temple (21:12-17), cursed a fig tree (21:18-22), confronted those who...

In today’s reading the people of Israel are in a time of crisis. They have broken their covenant with God by making golden idols. God has called the people of Israel...

Who is this God to whom we belong? God, the sovereign of the universe, enthroned in heaven upon the cherubim, is not a distant God. This God listens to us and...