Anabaptist and Quaker essays, sermons, and other writings
This is the first Sunday of Lent 2021, but as Diana Butler Bass has named, in some ways, the entire last year has felt like a season of Lent. Lent is that liturgical season of forty days (not counting Sundays) prior to Easter, in which Christians have for centuries taken […]
Listen, and hear my voice; Pay attention, and hear my speech. – Isaiah 28:23 NRSV There is nothing more desirable than to hear from God directly. Then we can know that our thoughts and behaviors are being watched by our Creator and found either acceptable or in need of correction. […]
I am so thankful to be part of a congregation that asks things boldly, though aware that our privilege does not make us worthy of Jesus’ attention; and also a congregation that serves humbly, aware that as part of the body of Christ, our attention needs to go where Jesus’ […]
Beatitude: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. I was on the baseball team while I was a student at Hesston College. Each year in March, we would travel to Phoenix, Arizona during spring break to play in a tournament. Our coach had […]
The third Sunday in Advent is Gaudete Sunday, or Rejoicing Sunday, and the lectionary scriptures all proclaim the joy of God’s work in the world. And yet, beloved church, I have to tell you, I was having a hard time accessing some joy to preach about. It’s been a very […]
In 1708 the original eight members of what would become the Church of the Brethren started something new as they entered the waters of the Eder River for their baptism. Though it was indeed a new church they began, it was not without historical antecedents. The Church of the Brethren […]
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. – Matthew 12:36 KJV Pan rhēma argon, reads the original Greek, which the New Revised Standard Version translates “every careless word.” Or we might say, “every empty, […]
When have you been able to put it on the calendar ahead of time that a certain day was supposed to change your life? For many of us, a wedding day might come to mind. That date is saved far in advance, with tremendous preparation ahead of time; making vows […]
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” In Matthew 5:5 Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” As a good Jewish Rabbi, Jesus is quoting from the scriptures of Israel. This time, he quotes from Psalm 37:11 which says, “The meek shall […]
Mark 13:14-13 Not quite ten years ago, the predictions of Harold Camping of Family Radio in California created a sensation, especially in Christian circles. Camping confidently predicted that, based on a calculation of the creation of the world about 6,000 years ago, that same world would be ending on May […]