“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more.” When I was young, these words held little meaning. I was busy building a life and a ministry...

Revelation 21 begins with the powerful statement that we need a new world; the old world is unable to embrace what God has for us next. Sometimes we can repair broken...

We praise people to affirm them, but God doesn’t need our affirmation to be God. We praise others to encourage them to continue on a certain path, but God works in...

I find it intriguing that one entire book of the Bible, Psalms, is a book of songs. Words to be sung, not merely read. All cultures have their own music; it...

How is it that Jesus has been glorified already? He has dismissed Judas to set in motion his crucifixion. There is no turning back. Jesus neither pleads with Judas to reconsider...

Despite what romantics say, love is not blind. Attraction may obscure others’ flaws, but genuine mature love recognizes all shortcomings and understands and accepts others as they are. Jesus calls his...

When God seeks change, God calls persons in ways they can understand. Along with the other disciples, God charges Peter with the daunting task of changing a religious culture. In the...

Several scripture readings this week depict Jesus as our Shepherd, describing his care for the sheep. When coupling Revelation 7 with Psalm 23 and John 10, a striking reversal leaps from...

Sometimes when I look at the world, I begin to despair. There seems not enough space for the thousands of refugees worldwide fleeing war, genocide, brutality, and injustice. Even if we...

Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” At first this sounds like a logical, easy progression of events. We hear God’s voice, and we...