“Do Not Be Afraid!” The Urgent Message of Easter Messengers
What fears do you, like the two Marys in Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew 28:1-10), bring with you to the tomb this Easter week? Perhaps never in our lifetimes has it been as easy to identify a ...
D̶o̶ ̶Y̶o̶u̶ ̶H̶a̶v̶e̶ Where Are Your Blind Spots?
Isn’t it quite stunning in Sunday’s gospel (John 9:1-7, 13-17, 34-39) that the only one besides Jesus who seems to see things clearly is a blind-from-birth beggar? The disciples see this blind beggar, but they ...
“God, I Thank You That…”
My sinful nature needs little nourishment to feed smug self-satisfaction, but an unbelieving world provides a smorgasbord. If it’s not another mass murderer semi-automatically butchering people, then it’s the drug deal gone bad with bullets ...
Jesus Is Still Partnering with Unworthy Instruments to Fulfill All Righteousness
In Sunday’s gospel (Matthew 3:13-17), it’s not hard to grasp why John would have sought to change Jesus’ mind about who would baptize whom. John had just finished confessing that he was not worthy to ...
Gaudete! Rejoice! Really!
Sunday’s gospel (Matthew 11:2-11) seems a strange choice for the Sunday historically known as Gaudete (Rejoice). As the curtain opens on Matthew 11, the scene before us is John languishing in Herod’s dungeon. Gaudete? Rejoice? ...
Purify My Eternal Hope, Lord Jesus!
When it comes to our hope of eternal life, which is more dangerous: to say too little or to say too much? To say less than Scripture says or to say more? Or, to use ...
Lord, Make Me More Like the Unbelievers!
He comes around to stun and trouble us every three years whether we want him to or not (and a part of me certainly does not want him around). He is the strangest protagonist in ...
Yes, Pastor, You Too Walk in Danger All the Way!
Who hasn’t wondered about the curious question in Sunday’s gospel (Luke 13:22-30)? “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” (22) We shake our heads at the unbelieving world and wonder: “Lord, are ...
My Dear Brother, My Dear Brother, Please Sit Down!
In Sunday’s gospel (Luke 10:38-42), did Martha walk away disappointed because Jesus didn’t sanction her well-meaning but distracted busyness by rebuking Mary? Or, perhaps, initially stunned when Jesus’ gentle, loving rebuke came her way and ...
Is That “Daily” Part Really Necessary?!?!
Wisconsin’s governor has our country’s most sweeping line item veto power. While its use has led to court challenges, Wisconsin governors have crossed out single words or altered a single digit in an appropriations bill, ...