When we want to identify something, we look at it closely. When we see someone we think we know in a crowded place, we concentrate on seeing a distinctive face or...

The raising of Lazarus lies at the heart of John’s Gospel. Resurrection is the greatest of the seven signs. Jesus speaks enigmatically about Lazarus’ illness: “This illness does not lead to...

Psalm 130 was one of Martin Luther’s favorite psalms and his paraphrase of it for the Lutheran hymn of 1524: “Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir” is still part of...

In Romans, Paul uses the metaphor of “flesh” to contrast the way the world is with the way it should be for those in Christ Jesus. Throughout the letter, Paul tackles...

Psalm 130:7 speaks of the hesed of God when the psalmist employs the term steadfast love. Often translated “mercy, faithfulness, loving-kindness, grace, goodness,” the wide connotations of the term invite investigation....

Sometimes good news is too good to believe. At least it seems that way when Jesus strolls through John’s Gospel (John 5, healing one ill for thirty-eight years; John 11, the...

This story wrestles with a culture that believed disease and misfortune were God’s punishment. Someone did wrong; someone sinned. A person or even parents could cause lasting illness—so the disciples believed,...

In the first three chapters of Ephesians, Paul stresses that Christ’s death and resurrection have opened the way for Gentiles to draw near to God because the “dividing wall” (see Ephesians...

Many memorial services or services of death and resurrection employ this psalm to bring comfort and hope to the grieving. The psalm acknowledges the presence of grief, of going through dark...

Shepherds spend lots of time outside, and this familiar and popular psalm attributed to David invites us to the healing landscape of green meadows, flowing rivers, and tree-shaded paths. Such places...