‘Contraditions’
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‘Contraditions’

On Palm Sunday in sunny Florida, a state full of palm trees, I walked out of church. It was the first time I walked out of a sermon. No, I wasn’t preaching, although maybe at that moment I was. The text in this Presbyterian church was Luke 19:41-44, Jesus’ weeping over Jerusalem. There was no…

Ponce de Leon and Me
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Ponce de Leon and Me

“Explore” comes from Latin, “to cry out.” It is the surprise and joy of discovery, the cry of Eureka! Being an explorer ties into my life metaphor of pilgrimage. Lately, I have been exploring Venice, Florida as I begin retirement. I’ve walked, biked and done a little boating. In Punta Gorda I discovered a statue…

Highway in the Wilderness
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Highway in the Wilderness

I remember seeing a sign on a sharp curve in Orangeville, Michigan. It said, “Prepare to meet thy God.” It felt ominous. I cringe seeing similar signs along highways. These are “look out” rather than “look to” messages. John the Baptist gave his warning to the self-righteous holy people who say “our way or the…

Be-Longing
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Be-Longing

I cried out.“I no longer belong.”You heard my painful cry.You walked by on the other side.Afraid to be contaminated?Concerned about what others might say?Confident in your holiness.You threw out those you judged unholy.Now I sit with them in the ashes. I had belonged.All my life I belonged.I belonged to the church, the schools. The community was…

Stop. Look. Listen.
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Stop. Look. Listen.

When I told students in Lithuania, “I can pass for Lithuanian, but I feel more like a foreigner here than in Zambia, because I cannot speak the language,” they laughed. They let me know it was easy to tell I was not Lithuanian. I walked fast, upright and looked at people. Lithuanians walk slowly, looking…

EVIL, Backwards
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EVIL, Backwards

There are three kinds of people in the church today: deists, dualists and devoted. In 2005, sociologists Smith and Lundquist coined the phrase “Moral Therapeutic Deism” to describe a belief of American teenagers: religion is about being “good” (culturally defined) so that one can be happy; God is a minimally involved Creator. It’s an individualistic…

Where’s Jesus?
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Where’s Jesus?

When 19 children and two teachers are murdered we cry, where’s Jesus? When a white supremacist kills 10 African Americans in a supermarket, where’s Jesus? When nations wage war bringing death, destruction, famine, homelessness and economic chaos, where’s Jesus? When loved ones suffer from cancer or mental illness, where’s Jesus? One might treat this question…

The box to check 
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The box to check 

Would you like to take a survey? Please check all the boxes that apply. I check the last box in the age category now, ouch. At least I know that answer. We do not fit as neatly into other categories. Contrary to the individualism of our age, we are defined by our connections. Categories keep…

Utility player
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Utility player

Am I done? I’ll be 66 in June. Is it time to retire? As I review my “career” there is always a sense of mystery. Why did I do this? What might be the road ahead? My path has taken many turns, primarily within the same course of ministry. I have been a student, a…

Resurrection life
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Resurrection life

Most religions address the challenge of death with some concept of an afterlife. Islam presents the goal as paradise. Eastern religions speak of reincarnation, then escape into the great universal spirit. Most Materialists say, “When you’re dead, you’re dead,” with hope being in the next generations. Christians sometimes talk of life after death as “heaven,”…

What divides us
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What divides us

Picture a world divided: religiously, politically, economically and socially. Religiously, some stress faithful, traditional worship, as they learned it. Many focus on morality behavior. Others say it is about prophetic action, especially to right injustices. Politically, some like government programs from “we, the people.” Others favor local government for our community. People sometimes fight the…

First and last
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First and last

We’re in our final few days of the season of Epiphany. A season all about noticing the light that enters our darkness. The light that often seems foreign, so contrary to our way of seeing the world. Jesus told stories to help us picture the light. They usually included something surprising and confusing. Why isn’t…