April 16, 2007

Random Musings (A Response to the Virginia Tech Shooting)

I have been accused of random musing in sermons on occasion; perhaps there is some truth to that. But this morning, the sermon is an intentional sharing of musing. To muse is to be absorbed in thought, reflection, and brooding...

May 28, 2006

“Who Is In and Who Is Out?”

Luke’s story in the Acts of the Apostles about replacing Judas as one of the twelve is an interesting story. Ostensibly, it appears to be a rather straightforward story about bringing another person into the leadership of the early church...

May 14, 2006

The Hope of Diversity

The article in last Saturday’s Omaha World-Herald, “150 Years and Counting”, about our 150th anniversary celebration, has produced a number of responses, not the least of which was a phone call from a person I took to be the Marketing Director of KGBI radio, a “Christian Broadcasting” radio station, soliciting us to place our advertisement and announce our upcoming events on their radio station...

December 17, 2006

Gifts and Giving, Freely Received

The Wise Men - In Matthew’s story, there are no shepherds or manger, no journey to Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph already live in Bethlehem, not in Nazareth. In Matthew’s story, the visitors to the newborn Jesus are foreigners, not nearby shepherds. They are astrologers and priests from anther religion whose practices are not simply foreign to first century Judaism, but unacceptable in it...

November 26, 2006

Keeping Our Hearts and Minds Open to a New City

What does it take to construct a new society and build a new city? Unless the new city establishes new patterns of relating and a new body politic, it will replicate the ones left behind.

Between 1620 and 1640, a few hundred Separating Puritans (the first 40 or so, known to us as the “Pilgrims”) and more than 20, 000 Non- Separating Puritans, relocated to New England...