But in those days, after that suffering. . . . ” The opening words of today’s reading speak to the whole point of Advent and Christmas. The community for which Mark...

In these opening lines of Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth, we see the apostle’s deep desire for that beloved community. Paul writes in order to encourage the church to...

Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.” This psalm of lament cries for God’s presence in the midst of great distress. The people...

Come to save us!” This is the hopeful cry of God’s people throughout the scriptures. Unfortunately, in many circles—both within and outside the church—the word saved has a rather narrow or...

In the midst of the resettlement of Jerusalem following a long exile, conflicts arise among people who stayed in the land, foreigners who moved in, and those who return. Who has—or...

Agod from a machine”—that is the literal translation of deus ex machina. This Latin phrase refers to the ancient Greek and Roman dramatic device used to solve an unsolvable problem at...

On the day that I was ordained as an elder in The United Methodist Church, a beloved older pastor gave me some well-intended advice: “Joe, as a pastor you are so...

Christ is present in those who are hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, and in those who are strangers. When I served as the United Methodist bishop in Virginia, I found myself preaching...

In today’s reading Paul pours out his soul with thanksgiving for the faith and love that is evident in those who belong to the church in Ephesus: “I do not cease...

Ido not always enter worship in a joyful manner. At times I come to worship with a heavy heart or a broken spirit. Some Sundays I enter the church with sorrow...