“But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place to share the rich root of the olive tree, do not vaunt yourselves over the branches. If you do vaunt yourselves, remember that it is not you that support the root, but the root that supports you.” Romans 11:17-18 One of the (not so) secret pleasures that is enjoyed in this world is the pleasure we …
"If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." (John 10:24) Have you ever been having a conversation with someone who's trying to beat around the bush? I don't know that there are many things that annoy me more than that. Just tell me what you want to tell me, don't try to hide it. Sometimes I will ask someone "What's the real question here?" when they're trying to ask me…
I know very little about sheep. They are cute and fuzzy and make funny noises. I have sweaters because they have donated their fuzziness. They graze in fields. To me, all sheep look alike; I can’t tell them apart. I don’t know any more about the shepherds who take care of the sheep. I always assumed that being a shepherd involved things like feeding them and getting them safely from their pens and…
Today’s Gospel passage is one of my all-time favorite lessons to teach with kids - of all ages. It has such a terrific “yuck” factor that it simply captures their attention – and really invites them into the story. It’s the story, as recorded in John, of Jesus healing a man who has been blind since birth. Sounds pretty normal for a Bible story miracle, right? Except for the way that Jesus does it: he re…
“No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day.” John 6:44 There is a beautiful truth that is hidden just beneath the surface of this verse; we must be DRAWN to Jesus. God is not behind us with a whip, but in front of us with open arms. But I’m not sure that even this gets to the depth of it. There are lots of reasons that people first…
