“Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer, nor withheld his love from me.” That feels good. Let’s say that psalm verse out loud, together: “Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer, nor withheld his love from me.” How great it is that our God – the same God who took on…

The New Testament contains a number of stories in which Jesus appears to people after his resurrection from the dead. However, the Easter message of the New Testament is more complex than these stories taken by themselves. The entirety of the New Testament was written from a post-resurrection perspective. The various documents represent diverse efforts…

It’s not easy being called sheep. Sheep have become the symbol, in our culture, of mindless compliance with societal norms. Many an Internet commentator has delivered a withering, independent-minded diatribe against the unquestioning masses he derides as “sheeple.” Even if you’re comfortable with compliance, there’s also the bald fact that, as stated by the farmer…

When we want to talk about something or someone we know truly or deeply, we often resort to the language of the heart. Helen Keller said, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” In Measure for Measure, Shakespeare wrote, “Go to…

Today’s gospel reading teaches us about fear and doubt on one hand and faith and risk on the other. We don’t have to be taught about fear and doubt – not if we have lived a few years and kept our eyes open. Living is bound to cause us to have fear and doubt. Nearly…