I have looked upon thee in the sanctuary, beholding thy power and glory. - Psalm 63:2 (RSV) Tradition has it that Psalm 63 was composed by David when he was in the Judean desert on the run from King Saul. Modern commentators dispute his authorship, but the psalm certainly describes David’s desperation as he fled “those who seek to destroy my life.” It also expresses the hardship of a desert place and time: “My soul thirsts for thee, my flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and w

On the seventh day [of the banquet], when the king was merry with wine, he commanded the eunuchs who attended him to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing the royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the officials her beauty … but Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command conveyed by the eunuchs. - Esther 1:10-12 (NRSV) Pretty much as long as this story has been around, sages and thinkers have been trying to figure out why Vashti would refuse the king’s co

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them – not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. - 1 Peter 5:2-3 (NIV) Dear Fellow Shepherd, Shepherding requires a whole lot of the opposite of social distancing (social proximiting?). To shepherd is to be part of the flock even as you guide it, to to

Jesus answered, “You’ve come looking for me not because you saw God in my actions but because I fed you, filled your stomachs – and for free.” - John 6:26 (MSG) In elementary school, lunchtime was more intricate than just a time for students to eat food. There were so many lunches prepared that never made it into the intended students’ bodies as they were traded for desserts, pencils, or even coveted spots in line next to crushes. Early in the school year, it became clear who

I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone – and even by the truth itself. - 3 John 9-12 excerpts (NIV) If you want to know about the values of a society, look at what people are naming their babies. Baby names reflects who we think deserves our admiration. T

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. - Galatians 6:2 (NIV)  When I was a child, my mother would proudly tell people, “Lillian is like a little cat. Whichever way you throw her, she always lands on her feet.” She meant it as a compliment. We had chaotic lives, moving from one country to another, my father in and out of war zones. And that was just what was visible from the outside. Not all our family’s war zones were in another coun

But remember, dear friends, that the apostles of our Master, Jesus Christ, told us this would happen: “In the last days there will be people who don’t take these things seriously anymore. They’ll treat them like a joke, and make a religion of their own whims and lusts.” - Jude 1:17-18 (MSG) In the mid-first century, when Matthew and Luke were writing down their Gospels, they both included a trove of Jesus’ sayings called the “Q source.” When the New Testament’s table of cont

Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord, for God is good; for God’s steadfast love endures forever. - Psalm 106:1 (NRSV) In my early weeks with the first congregation I served, the co-moderators asked to meet with me. Church finances were stretched, they said. Would I consider reducing my hours to part-time … so they could stop paying for health insurance for me and my children? The conversations I had with the other parent of my children flashed through my head. Are you

The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still confined in the court of the guard. Thus says the Lord: In this place of which you say, “It is a waste without human beings or animals,” in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, there shall once more be heard the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness. - Jeremiah 33:1, 10-11a (NRSV, excerpts) Turn on any cable news network or talk radio station and you'll hear the same stories told in the sa

“There was a widow in that town who kept coming to the judge with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’” - Luke 18:3 (NIV) When the policeman across the street from me had a no-social-distancing party with 40 folks, some in uniform, on his deck in plain sight, no masks anywhere, while I continued my personal quarantine, I was really mad. I thought of calling the cops, but they were the cops. I live by a general rule: Don’t try to fix people. You are not a repair