Is God really so severe as our week’s passages imply? Are we shocked, even outraged, to entertain that the answer might be “Yes”? Perhaps we have domesticated the “consuming fire” of...

The passages this week have made me squirm. I want more grace and less accountability. I’ve thought, Well, that’s the Old Testament. Give me Jesus. Or, Paul sometimes speaks abruptly; Jesus...

The good news of Jesus’ return fills our sails with winds of hope that propel us forward into even the most difficult days. Those who have died are not gone forever....

Are you ready for some good news? We get a breather today and some words of encouragement. God’s people have always suffered the awkwardness, and sometimes even persecution, of not being...

Joshua challenges the people to make a decision that moment and declare it publicly. But before anyone can reply, Joshua takes a bold stand in declaring his allegiance to the Lord....

“The Lord, the God of Israel” has worked redemptively for centuries on behalf of this particular people. Joshua has led the people across the Jordan and into the Promised Land. Near...

You might want to skip this week’s readings. They won’t be easy—way too much truth-telling for my comfort. But if you’ve had a feeling that lately your idea of God has...

In this passage, commonly known as the Beatitudes, Jesus tells us what it means to be blessed. He does not mention winning the lottery, being elected to high office, or buying...

Bishop Colin Winter was a dear friend whom I met when I was teaching at a seminary in London. Colin had been the Anglican Bishop of South West Africa, now Namibia,...

Jesus uses strong words to caution his disciples about some of the religious leaders among them. The scribes and Pharisees teach and interpret the law of Moses, just as Jesus does....