We have been walking through some tenuous scriptural ground this week, grappling with hell and judgment, salvation and righteousness, empire and God’s kingdom. It is no easy terrain, no simple way...

One of the gifts the Jewish tradition offers is the practice of midrash, a way of reading a biblical text with a question mark instead of a period. The practice of...

In today’s scripture reading, we find Jesus echoing Ezekiel’s prophecy to the Hebrew people. Jesus offers his disciples and us warnings of judgment and a call to righteousness. There is a...

A master letter writer, Paul offers a heartfelt and inspiring introduction to the church at Ephesus in today’s reading. Suggesting that he does not know them personally with the phrase “I...

I recently heard Rabbi David Horowitz describe the Kaddish, an ancient prayer recited regularly in Jewish worship services and originally known as the Mourner’s Prayer, as a prayer for those who...

Take a moment to picture divisive politics ruling the land, military alliances and violent crimes taking place at alarming rates, policies privileging the wealthy, and a society ruled by its greed....

As a child, I was terrified of being lost. I understood “being lost” as being separated from my parents. When I was five, I tried to spend the night away from...

There Will Be Consequences “Whatever. . . . Been there, done that. I don’t care. . . .” A jaded callous attitude seems to pervade popular culture. I wonder if what appears as cynicism may be a...

So I Was Afraid Fear may be seen as having faith in the enemy. Fear can hold us enthralled, imprisoned. Paralyzed by the “what-ifs” and “maybes,” we decide we would rather...

Untie the Knots Deborah, prophet and judge, was a woman of heroic stature who had the courage to lay her inner leading on the line of fire. She spurred military leader...