Month: July 2021
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Shabbat shalom
any action of the whole being which means the suspension of all partial actions, and consequently of all sensations of actions grounded only in their particular limitation, is bound to resemble suffering. Martin Buber, I and Thou, Translated by Ronald Gregor Smith, Scribner Classics, 2000 (1956), 78. Image: “View of the Synagogue at Nuremberg,” James […]
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Reflecting on Romans 10 5-17
What is the hope that Paul presents in this text – and are there any limits to it? We might wonder about this as we are studying Romans 10:5-17 for Sunday, August 1. [Some notes on the text are here.] Here are some questions we might ask ourselves, or want to discuss in class: In […]
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Studying Romans 10 5-17
What is at stake for Paul, and for us, in Romans 10:5-17, the text we are studying for Sunday, August 1? In line with the summer’s overarching theme of “confident hope,” we could say it’s Paul’s hope for the salvation of Israel, which is the explicit concern of Romans 9-11. But upon reflection, we could […]
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New Perspectives, and Their Implications
Our wonderful pastor preached on 2 Samuel 11:1-15 yesterday – from one perspective, “the familiar story of David and Bathsheba.” She pointed out that historically Christian readers have carefully protected the Great King David’s reputation, even here. The NRSV’s editorial heading reads “David commits adultery with Bathsheba.” Even though “commits adultery” presumes or assumes, and […]
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Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
Call to Worship [Based on Psalm 145:10-18] Give thanks to God, all God’s works!Bless God, all God’s faithful! Praise God’s glory and power – Thank God for kindness and care – Call on God who listens, who draws near – Rest in God’s love – All God’s works! All God’s faithful! Come, let us find […]
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Shabbat shalom
relation is only possible between I and Thou. It is not the I, then, that is given up, but that false self-asserting instinct that makes a [person] flee to the possessing of things before the unreliable, perilous world of relation which has neither density nor duration and cannot be surveyed. Martin Buber, I and Thou, […]
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Reflecting on Romans 5 1-11
Can we see how Romans 5:1-11 supports “confident hope”? “Confident hope” is allegedly the stated theme of all the texts we are studying this quarter, but Romans 5:1-11 really brings that theme into focus. [Some notes on the text are here.] Here are a few more questions about the text we might want to think […]
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Studying Romans 5 1-11
Maybe if more people knew how precious they are to God, people would be happier, and the world would be different. We are studying Romans 5:1-11 for Sunday, July 25, and I hope it will be impossible for any of us to read this text without coming away with an even deeper sense than we […]
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Forbearance
People who miss you, but understand why you needed to be where you were instead. All those lessons, and all that practice: how to keep quiet when whatever you were about to say was neither necessary nor kind; how to let things be ways other than yours; how not to have to have a good […]
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Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
Call to Worship [Based on Jeremiah 23:1-6] Come, let us gather together!Come follow the voice of wisdom!Come follow the voice of justice and righteousness!Leave fear of unworthiness behind – Leave dismay at inadequacy far away – The HOLY ONE is our righteousness!Praise the God of compassion!Give thanks to the God who gathers us in!Let us […]
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Shabbat shalom
But when he, too, who abhors the name, and believes himself to be godless, gives his whole being to addressing the Thou of his life, as a Thou that cannot be limited by another, he addresses God. Martin Buber, I and Thou, Translated by Ronald Gregor Smith, Scribner Classics, 2000 (1956), 78. Image: “Friday evening,” […]
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Reflecting on Romans 4 1-12
What do we learn from Paul’s argument about Abraham in Romans 4? What do we actually do with it in our own lives? That’s one question we might ask or want to discuss in class as we are studying Romans 4:1-12. [Some notes on the text are here.] Here are a few others: Do we […]
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Studying Romans 4 1-12
“Justification by faith” may not mean what we are probably used to thinking it means. We may need to start rethinking the possibilities this week, as we are studying Romans 4:1-12 for Sunday, July 18. We will be in the middle of the problem next week, when we come to Romans 5:1-11. [Some questions on […]
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Experiencing Grace
Grace is all around us, all the time; we could experience it more often, if we got in the habit of noticing that. A sermon – text Luke 17:11-19 – from the Corydon Presbyterian Church yesterday. Luke’s story of Jesus healing 10 lepers is probably well known to us from stewardship seasons past. Because […]
Matters of Interpretation 