Tag: evangelism
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Reflecting on John 4 (7-15, 28-30, 39-41)
Why does Jesus launch into a long, theological conversation with this woman? …
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“Words for the Great Ordeal”
John relays a message for Christians going through “the great ordeal” now. We still need these words: “Come, Lord Jesus!” and “Come, everyone who is thirsty!”
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Different Worlds
What if “the way things are” is not “the” way? What if “that’s just the way it is” does not have to be that way? What if there is another way? What if the people who claim to know how things are and must be and have decided that all things considered this is what’s…
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Connection – Calm & Careful
Our congregation is small, our sanctuary is spacious, and our local community is still in the “green zone,” so we went ahead with Sunday morning worship. We didn’t “pass the peace” or the offering plate, and we left lots of space between people – we used all the sections of the sanctuary, which hasn’t happened…
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Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Because I am modern, I assume effects have causes. I assume sciatica has a cause. Our theory about the cause of D’s recent bout of sciatica is “stairs.” Specifically the stairs in Dayton, Ohio, at her family’s houses, that she spent a lot of time going up and down last Labor Day weekend. As the…
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Matthew 28 16-20 and Acts 1 6-8
We are studying two short texts, Matthew 28:16-20 and Acts 1:6-8, for Sunday, April 29. Both concern Jesus’ last instructions to “the eleven,” after his resurrection and just prior to his ascension. [Some notes on these texts are here.] Here are a few questions about these texts we might want to consider before or during…
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This is About This is Marketing
Godin, Seth. This is Marketing. New York: Portfolio/Penguin, 2018. [An installment of the “Read Me” Project.] I love Seth Godin – by which I mean, I have a mile-high opinion of his work, appreciate his smart and helpful ideas, admire his passionate and disciplined commitment to excellence and his advocacy for good character, and especially…
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Out of Sight
Why would anyone start going to church? That is far from obvious. Not that there are no reasons for going to church, or no good reasons, or even no genuinely compelling reasons. I love church. I always have – if “always” can mean “ever since I was a little girl, not counting the twenty-odd years…
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Seventh Sunday of Easter
In class, we ended up on a review of the large arc of Biblical narrative: God creates all of humanity (Adam & Eve); God saves all of humanity (through Noah); God elects a particular people (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob – Israel, including anyone from Egypt who wants to throw in their lot with those children of…
Matters of Interpretation 