30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A, RCL)

In meditating on the words of scripture, I discover a Word who meditates on me.

Paul, speaking for Silas and Timothy, offers a layered metaphor.

The nature of God’s judgment is not entirely clear. What has Moses done wrong?

Throughout scripture, human bodies are not an obstacle to righteousness; they are its location.

If so, what did he mean?

Trees symbolize a holy channel that faithfully stewards the power of God into the world.

It’s really tough to value the gifts inherent in finitude when beloved ones are dying.

“If to get a good message you need to make Judaism look bad, then you don’t have a good message.”

 How can people tell the difference between a prophet and a phony?

"Love God, love neighbor." Sounds simple.

The headlines spoke of nationalism and war. Barth proclaimed a living God who calls for repentance.

Being religious is not about following rules. It's more like dancing.

We laughed with hope as we witnessed a new generation hearing an ancient truth.

Have you ever been inordinately annoyed by someone else's clothing? I have, and in my experience this is a classic indicator of what this week's Leviticus reading calls “hating someone in my heart.” When I'm repressing anger or frustration, I suddenly notice the hideously out-of-date belt my relative is wearing, or the way-too-short-in-every-inseam pantsuit my co-worker has on. The clothes are never the true offense, of course, but they send off alarms: time to speak up. 

We have, in fact, been given a simple code for living.