Author's posts
Jun 28
God: The Great Inverter, Reverser, Equalizer
Psalm 30“You have turned my mourning into dancing;” I marvel at how many times in the Scriptures God is up-ending the human order of things. From Esau and Jacob, the elder will serve the younger; to Jesus in the Beatitudes, the meek will inherit the earth. Paul sums it up in I Corinthians 1: 25 …
Nov 08
When God is too Gracious
Jonah 3 This is the third sermon dealing with God’s acceptance of those beyond Israel. Human conflict is often fueled by a fear of “the other.” And it was easy for the ancient Israelites to assume that God approved only of them. Yet, over and over again, God breaks the barriers down that keep God’s …
Oct 31
Jesus Shows God Does Not Fit in a Box
“Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. [Luke 4:25-26 …
Jan 20
The Unexpected?
Matthew 5:1-12 This Sunday begins a three-sermon series on the Sermon on the Mount. This sermon of Jesus has been described as the outline for his kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven. The sermon begins with 9 Blessed, or Beatitudes. Being blessed is not being happy. Being blessed is dwelling in a place of God’s acceptance …