Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year C, RCL)

Simeon and Anna echo the worship material of ancient Israel.

When our church offered Rosa sanctuary, our ordinary habits became a politics of hospitality.

People sometimes regress to childlike behavior in stressful situations.

Peter is hardly the first person to challenge the status quo because of something God told him in a dream.

It often works pretty well for us.

God called all of them good. Humans are rapidly destroying them.

The psalmist puts out a clarion call.

Here we find Jesus speaking in language both mystical and matter of fact.

The beloved song can contain God’s glory no more than the scripture it’s based on.

Jesus acts in response to real human suffering and actual human tears.

Do we really want God to live with us in a poisoned and degraded world?

John of Patmos presents readers of Revelation with fantastical visions of what life could be, just as Dickens does to Scrooge.

On a recent work trip, I took a break to see Beautiful, the Carole King musical. I had not realized her songs' impact on me. I sat mesmerized as I heard the story of King's life woven together by songs she had written or co-written. I could sing along with every single song. They were not just the story of her life--I wondered if they had something to do with my own life and its trajectory as well.

Jesus uses both words and deeds to prepare his followers for his absence. Are the disciples watching for what it means to really, really love? Are we?