“Then who can be saved?” they asked Jesus. How often we ask ourselves that very question. Oh, yes, day to day we put on a good face and project an image of confidence to the world around us. Like the man in today’s gospel reading who seeks Jesus to ask how he might inherit eternal…

“What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this Gospel? Do you wonder if you are one of the rich people whose wealth will make it next to impossible to get into heaven? Have you ever heard this Gospel used in stewardship campaigns in which the prescribed fix or remedy for…

Being a prophet has never been an easy job, but Amos had some particular challenges. As a shepherd he lacked the automatic authority and credibility a man of more education, property, and social standing might have expected from his fellow citizens. He also lived in a time of prosperity and a strong sense of well-being….

In the Philadelphia Museum of Art there’s a striking painting by Russian Marc Chagall. As Chagall’s often complexly allergorical or symbolic paintings go, it’s very simple. It has a large white figure of a man, several smaller white figures of houses and a church, and two words in Russian on a black background. The striking…

He was young, well-mannered, well-educated, and well-off. He was sincere, honest, and seemingly above reproach. Maybe he also had an engaging personality and a winsome smile. Certainly Jesus found him likable, for Jesus, who was about to set out on a trip, took the time to engage with him. Jesus even tried to recruit him…