AfterWords: Parables - Shine!

 

Mark 4:21-23

Light. We crave light in our lives most of the time. And, we have a lot of light around us in 21^st Century North America. Our houses are lit, our offices are lit, our stores are lit. Our cars have lights, our streets have lights, and our sports fields have lights. In fact, we have so much light that many people have to install “blackout” curtains so they can sleep. Yeah, light is not something we’re running short on.

But in the 1^st Century AD, as Jesus walked the roads of Judea and talked with his disciples, the world was a very dark place. As soon as the sun went down, the world was dark. Yes, they had oil lamps, and they could build a fire outside, but that was nothing like the light we know today. When Jesus told this parable about lamps, his disciples knew immediately the foolishness of putting a lamp under a basket. The world was already dark enough, so why would anyone put a lamp under a basket?

So, let’s just think through all of this, shall we? First, if it’s dark out, and we put our lamp under a basket, the lamp is not doing what it needs to do, what it’s made to do: Give light to the room or the house (houses were much smaller back then). Then, if we light a lamp in the middle of the day—in daylight—it makes no difference...it’s kind of useless. But, if we are in darkness and light the lamp (and don’t cover it!), the lamp does what it’s supposed to do. I know—this is sort of common sense…but we have to remember that Jesus is not talking about just any lamp or just any light.

When we come to Jesus, when we say “yes!” to God, when we are baptized into the Church, God gives us his Spirit—effectively, God places his Light within us. We become lamps—the Flame of God burns within us. Yet, we tend to do just what Jesus talks about in his parable today—we hide our light, we put ourselves either under a basket…and we just hang out with other lamps.

When I taught at the John Wesley Methodist Seminary in Monterrey, Mexico, I asked my ministerial students about their non-Christian, pagan friends. They assured me they did not hang out with non-Christians. So, I asked them, “How do you share the faith if everyone you know is a Christian?” How do we shine any light if all we do is hang out with other lamps? Didn’t Jesus, the light of the world (John 1), spend his time in the darkness—with drunks, prostitutes, tax-collectors, and sinners?

Jesus calls us to be lamps in the darkness…so we better find our way into the darkness around us—into the lives of those who are wandering without purpose, those who are desperately looking for something solid and constant to hold on to, those who are feeling so alone. Let us look for ways we can step into the darkness of others lives…and there let us allow our light to shine…rather, let us allow God’s Light to shine through us. Shine!

Sunday, October 26, 2025
“Parables: Preparing the Soil”
Watch/Listen: HERE

AfterWords: Parables - Preparing the Soil

 

Matthew 13:1-9

Jesus tells a parable in today’s reading that focuses on two things: 1) the seed—the message of the Kingdom, the Good News of the Kingdom of God…that message of God’s love and grace and 2) the soils of our lives. How is our the soil of our lives? Is it hard-packed soil of the path, the shallow rocky soil, the weedy and thorn-choked soil…or the good soil? From what little I know of farming and gardening, I do know that having the soil prepared is important. Whether it’s the soil of our gardens or the soil of our lives, we need to prepare the soil for whatever seeds may come—whether tomato seeds or the seeds of the Kingdom.

Sometimes our life soil becomes hard-packed…like a path. And, like a path, our lives become hard from people walking all over us, from people hurting us. We protect ourselves by becoming hard. Like the old Simon and Garfunkel song, we become “a rock, and island” to avoid the pain of life. We sacrifice something important when we become hard—we give up compassion, empathy, care and concern. Jesus says we can’t be hard-packed soil and have the Kingdom seeds grow within us. Like farmers and gardeners who use tools to break up the soil, we need God’s Spirit in us to help break up the soil of our lives.

Sometimes our life soil is thin and rocky. We have no depth and Kingdom seeds cannot grow in us. We put on a show for a Sunday morning…and forget God the rest of the week. When we’re challenged, when our faith is put to the test, we fold and fall away. Some of the rocks in our lives have been there since childhood…and we didn’t know they were there—family hatreds, family secrets, family disfunction. As we find the rocks in our life soil, we ask God’s Spirit to help us remove them.

Sometimes our life soil is choked by weeds and thorns of worry or a false confidence in wealth. If we worry, we are not trusting God, God’s goodness, God’s power, God’s Word. When worry hits us—and it will—we must stop and ask God’s Spirit to help us weed out the worry and to trust. At other times, we think that if we have enough money (or power) everything in life will be fine. Yet, we cannot trust in money or wealth. We trust God, and allow God’s Kingdom to be rooted in our lives. Again, we ask God’s Spirit to help us trust in God rather than riches.

The “good soil” receives the Kingdom seed and God’s love and grace grows well there. Thankfully, God is a sower of seed who comes often and sows liberally, throwing seed all over the place. We have time to prepare the soil of our lives. We have the Spirit of God to help us prepare the soil. We will be ready next time the seeds of the Kingdom fall into our lives. The seeds will fall in good soil, sink in deeply, germinate, send roots down, and sprout and grow within us. And the Kingdom of God will spill out of our lives through words and actions of grace and hope and peace and loving-kindness. Let’s tend to our soil and be ready for the Kingdom seeds.

Sunday, October 19, 2025
“Parables: Preparing the Soil”
Watch/Listen: HERE

AfterWords: Parables--Patches & Wineskins

 

Luke 5:36-39

As we begin this series looking at parables of Jesus, we do well to remember that parables tend to leave “the mind in sufficient doubt about its precise application to tease it into active thought.” That’s what C.H. Dodd says about parables, and we do come to Jesus’ parables first with an “Oh, yeah…” and then quite quickly with a “Wait…what?”

As with most parables, today’s comes as a response to a question or challenge. In this case, the Pharisees are getting on to Jesus for not being “rabbi-y” enough and the disciples not being “disciple-y” enough. Jesus and his band are breaking all the rules. And the Pharisees are calling Jesus on this. So, Jesus tells them a parable.

This parable about “patches & wineskins” is about old and new, and we find that the Pharisees are not real big on embracing “new.” In fact, most of us kind of wince at the idea of change—good or bad change. We—like the Pharisees—become very comfortable in how we do things, in what we have. But, Jesus is bringing about something new, something fresh.

The Pharisees should not be surprised. Some 600 years before this time, Jeremiah the Prophet had already tipped God’s hand—God was going to do something new. These Pharisees should have been on the lookout for it: “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah” (Jer. 31:31). A new covenant, a new promise, a new deal was coming…and it comes through Jesus. Most of us are reminded of this each time we take Communion, when we hear those words of Jesus: “…after the supper [Jesus] took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you’” (Luke 22:20). “New covenant…”

With all of this talk of new and change, we do need to remember that the Good News of God in Christ Jesus is unchanging, the call of Jesus’ to love God and neighbor is unchanging. The truth does not change, but how we share, express, live out the truth does change. One of the most amazing and most beautiful aspects of the Christian faith is its ability to adapt to any culture, any language, any people, any time, any “style” and not lose the message of God’s love for us or Jesus’ call to us be a people of faith, hope, and agape love.

So, the parable of “patches & wineskins” is really the parable of “new garments & new wine.” Jesus doesn’t want to be a patch on a small, ripped piece of our lives; Jesus wants us to put on a whole new garment—Jesus himself. Jesus doesn’t want to try to pour his way of thinking and doing into a dried out, rigid old wineskin; Jesus wants to pour his new wine—his way of thinking and doing—into our renewed, flexible lives. Jesus knows we’re comfortable with the old; Jesus wants us to try out and embrace the new. Jesus offers to bring newness to our lives…renewal, refreshing. This is good news for us!

Sunday, October 12, 2025
“Parables: Patches & Wineskins”
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AfterWords: Stories that Shape Our Lives—God Provides

 

Exodus 16:1-5,13-18

We come back to these stories of the ancient Israelites again and again because these stories serve as a mirror—we find ourselves in these stories.

Today’s reading has the Israelites “starving to death.” Not really, but they think they are, and they’ve already managed to forget everything God has done for them. They have forgotten the miraculous plagues that led to their freedom (frogs, flies, locusts, and more), they have forgotten that they were able to simply walk out of Egypt to begin their journey to the Promised Land, and they have forgotten that God has just recently saved them from the Egyptian army as they walked through the Red Sea on dry ground. Do they really think that the God who brought through all of that would let them die now?

This spiritual amnesia is rather common among God’s people. We today forget about God’s provision and care just as our spiritual ancestors over 3000 years ago did. Even the people who walked with Jesus lost sight of God’s provision and care. Jesus sat them down and taught them again:

“…I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? … So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ … But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. (Matthew 6:25-34)

Jesus’ message for them and for us is simple: 1) Get your eyes off of yourself; look to God and look to others as you strive to live the Kingdom life. And, 2) Trust God—trust the God who made this world, who made and cares for the birds and the flowers; trust that the One who created you will sustain you. Trust is the opposite of worry. So, when we feel ‘worry’ creeping up on us, we need to stop, take a breath, and determine to trust God—in everything! After all, when has worry ever helped us effectively deal with any issue of our lives?

Let us set our sights on God and God’s Kingdom…and let us trust the One who made us to sustain us. Yes, that’s a better way of living.

Sunday, October 5, 2025
“God Provides”
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AfterWords: Stories the Shape Our Lives—Finding Holy Ground

 

Exodus 2:23-25; 3:1-12

“Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Besides the many and amazing benefits of taking off our shoes and standing on God’s earth, we find here the idea of “holy ground.”

Barefoot enthusiasts call the act of walking unshod on the earth “grounding,” and if there is anything we crave today, it’s grounding. Everything seems so unstable, constantly changing. Theologian Paul Tillich gave us the understanding of God as the “ground of being,” that underneath all that exists is God. If we’re looking for grounding, what better place to ground ourselves than in God?

In today’s reading, Moses finds his grounding in God. As Moses stands on “holy ground,” God calls Moses to a life-changing work, God reveals himself to Moses, and God poured his own strength into Moses’ life. Everything changed for Moses. What is holy ground?

Wouldn’t we love to find holy ground? Can we find that holy ground? Since many of the examples in Scripture find this kind of holy encounter in the wilderness, the desert, or somewhere far away from our human-made constructs, do we have go far away in order to encounter God on holy ground? Well, first we need to understand that holy ground is any place we remember who God is, who we are, and where we ground ourselves in the faith.

So, thankfully, we can stand on holy ground today—right where we are. Unlike other events and places in the Old Testament, holy ground is not limited by geography or time. Jesus gives us a hint at this in the “Sermon on the Mount” wherein he tells us to find a place of escape, silence, a place apart to pray (Matt. 6:6). Jesus—the barrier breaker—removes forever the suggestion that holy ground is only for special people in special places.

Whenever we have a chance to shut out the noise of culture, the ding-ping-ring of our cell phones, the shouts of people around us, and we can focus on God and God’s word enough to remember who God is, who we are, and re-ground ourselves in the faith—that is when and where we get to stand on holy ground.

For some, holy ground is a bedroom, a living room, a front porch, a rear deck, a gym, a drive to work, or a morning walk. Wherever and whenever we can shut out the world, we can be on holy ground. When we take time to ground ourselves in God, God has the opportunity then to call us to life-giving tasks as he did Moses. God can reveal himself to us as he did Moses. God can replace our fear with his strength as face the challenges of our days as he did Moses. Holy ground—the gift of divine encounter God offers to all. May we find holy ground today and every day. Amen.

Sunday, September 28, 2025

“Finding Holy Ground”

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AfterWords: Stories that Shape our Lives—Scoundrels & Saints

 

Genesis 27:1-4, 15-23

Reading parts of Genesis is like reading a soap-opera! Jacob, grandson of Abraham, shows a different side in today’s reading. Abraham is the faithful, God-fearing man who walks away from everything in Ur to live into God’s call and promise. Jacob, son of promise, is not the one to write home about. He bargains to win his twin brother’s (Esau) birth-right, he steals Esau’s blessing from their father Isaac, and then he swindles his uncle for a thousand goats and sheep. Sheesh! This guy really lives into his name: Jacob… “deceiver.”

The reading for this week focuses on the “blessing” Esau was to receive and Jacob steals. What is this idea of “blessing?” In the Old Testament, when a father confers blessing on his first-born son, he is effectively transferring all his goods and authority to that son. All other sons and all daughters are left out of this. So, if you were not the first-born male of your family, there was no inheritance for you…unless your oldest brother wanted to pass along something to you.

Blessing—while off balance in the Old Testament culture—is not a bad thing. I mean, who wouldn’t want to receive blessing? And, who wouldn’t want to receive blessing from God whom Jesus calls our “Heavenly Father”? His blessing would be the best, right?

Part of the Good News is that we can receive God’s blessing—anyone and everyone. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 5 about how to get in on the blessing—on the “goods and authority” that God has and wants to pass on to us:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5)

These blessings are for us—kingdom, comfort, the land, satiety, mercy, glimpses of God, divine family. All ours, all conferred on us as we embrace attitudes and actions of poverty, brokenness, meekness, hunger, mercy, purity, peace, and just persecution. These are the counter-cultural ways of walking in the Jesus way.

The story of Jacob, thankfully, ends well. Jacob is changed as God gives him a new name: Israel. He is reunited with his brother…and his brother not only forgives him but welcomes him home. We find in this story the truism: Every saint has a past. We also find in our study today a new truism: Every scoundrel can have a future. God’s way and God’s blessing can change our lives. This is good news for us.

Sunday, September 21, 2025
“Scoundrels & Saints”
Watch/Listen: HERE

AfterWords: Stories that Shape our Lives—Letting Go

 

Genesis 22:1-14

This significant event from the life of Abraham opens with the words, “Some time later God tested Abraham….” These words leave us a bit unsettled. God tested Abraham? Will God test me? And the test? Well, that involves Abraham sacrificing his only son, Isaac, the son we find promised at the beginning of Genesis 12.

These words shake us because—if we’ve been in the faith for a while—we have seen in the New Testament these words: “Nobody being tested should say, “It’s God that’s testing me,” for God cannot be tested by evil, and he himself tests nobody” (James 1:13, NTFE). So how do we reconcile this? Is this an OT vs. NT issue?

Translation is the problem. The Hebrew word nasah can be translated as ‘test,’ but a better translation is ‘proof’ or ‘prove’: “Some time later, God proved Abraham.” And this makes sense when we realize that Abraham has been in the “school of trust” ever since his call in Genesis 12. So, what we really find here is God proving Abraham…or letting Abraham prove his trust in God.

God asks Abraham to take his son into the hills and sacrifice him. For the next seven verses, Abraham is silent. He goes through the motions—gathers kindling, secures fire, gets rope, takes his knife…and travels with Isaac. But, in verse eight, we find that Abraham proves his faith, his trust God who has called him and in God’s promise. Abraham knows his son will not die, and in response to his son’s question about a lamb for sacrifice, he is able to answer with confidence: “‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ And the two of them went on together” (Genesis 22:8). They go on together because Abraham wants his son, too, to see God’s provision. And God does provide. Abraham is able to “let go” of his son because he trusts God.

A similar “proof” happens in the Gospels when a rich young man comes to Jesus in his pursuit of “eternal life.” After the young man affirms his commandment-keeping, Jesus tells him, “‘One thing you lack…go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth” (Mark 10:21-22). Here we find someone who is unable to let go, not yet ready to trust. And he walks away from the promises and blessings of God.

Too often we hold on to possessions, to ideas, to dreams, to self-perceptions, to any number of things we think we must have, we think we can’t live without. Like Abraham, we must be truly willing to let go of those things in order to know and live into the promises and blessings of God. If we insist on holding on, we, too, will go away sad. Today, we can decide to trust, we can take that step of trust by truly letting go of whatever it is we have held onto. Let go…and live into the promises and blessing of God.

Sunday, September 14, 2025
“Letting Go”
Watch/Listen: HERE

AfterWords: Stories that Shape Our Lives - "On the Eighth Day...."

 

Genesis 1-2

Origin stories are important. We want to know where we come from. My own story—as far back as we know—starts in the Scottish Lowlands. My people were farmers (and horse thieves…but only English horses!). Knowing their journey from Scotland through Ireland and then to the New World in 1743, and then their migration from Pennsylvania down the Appalachians into north Georgia by the late 1800’s—this is helpful for me and forms my self-understanding. The origin story in the opening chapters of Genesis is even more important. In this story of Scripture, we find that our world and all of Creation are God’s handiwork. That God makes this universe on purpose confirms that the universe and every one of us has purpose. This is good news!

Also a part of this story is God’s taking rest. After creating the universe, our world, and us humans, God rests. Here, God sets the pattern for us—we work, and then we rest. Unfortunately, in the early ages of God’s people, the scholars and religious leaders decided what was work and what wasn’t. They took a one-size-fits-all approach to work and rest. Thankfully, in our Christian era, we now know that work is important and rest is important, but just as one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, one person’s work is another person’s rest. Rest is designed for renewal and re-creation, after the expenditure of our days at work. My work includes lots of screen time and human interaction; my day of rest includes escaping screens and people 😊. Your work may be solitary or physically taxing; your rest may include getting together with others and sitting in front of screen. I cannot tell you what your rest is, and you cannot tell me what my rest is. One of our tasks as followers of Jesus is to really determine and understand what is “rest” for us…and find that day of the week that we can rest…renew…and re-create our lives.

Finally, we may have wondered (or not) what happens on the eighth day—that day after the seventh day: Did God just keep resting, or what? When we read Scripture, we see that God goes back to work. The world is now made, so what is the work of God? After Noah’s flood, God remakes the world. God creates a new people through Abraham. And God begins the amazing work of redeeming our broken and tarnished world. In Isaiah, God says he is “doing something new” (Isa. 43:19); in Jeremiah, God points out that he is remolding our lives, reshaping our lives (Jer. 18:6). Paul declares that “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor. 2:5).

God continues to work in our world and in our lives. Where you are and who you are today is not where you will be or who you will be. God continues the good work of renewal, redemption, and re-creation in us and even through us. Thanks be to God!

Sunday, September 7, 2025
“On the Eighth Day….”
Watch/Listen: HERE

AfterWords: Simple Stories, Profound Truths—Lessons in Grace

 

Jonah 1:1-17

Like other stories we have looked at (David & Goliath, Daniel in the Lions’ Den), the story of Jonah is often read in our children’s Sunday School classes or shared as a Bible story in Vacation Bible School. We adults do not linger long over this story. Perhaps it seems too incredulous? A man swallowed by a fish? Yet, we find a profound truth in this ancient story.

Jonah runs from God’s call to preach in Nineveh, is caught in a storm on the sea, tossed into the sea and swallowed by a fish. He prays to God, is spit out on land, and goes to preach in Nineveh. The Ninevites repent and the city is spared, and Jonah is angry because they didn’t get what was coming to them. He pouts, sits outside the city frustrated. The story seems to have no clear conclusion and ends with God asking him if he really has any right to be angry. Too often, the story is presented as a  morality tale: Obey God or suffer the consequences. Is this really message of the story?

One of the reasons I think we do come back to this story again and again is that we find ourselves there in the person of Jonah—we sense a call from God, and we run away. We aren’t all called to preach a message of repentance to large, pagan cities. More often, we sense a nudge from God to do some act of kindness, and we turn our attention to other things. We sense a whisper from God’s Spirit, and we close our ears and do nothing. Whatever shape our “running away” takes from whatever “call” comes to us, too often we turn away from God’s invitation to join in God’s work of redemption, healing, and salvation.

A significant piece of this story is found when Jonah is on the ship headed to Tarshish. The storm comes upon the ship and everyone is in fear for their lives. Jonah is the one who is running from God, but his act of rebellion is affecting the people around him. Even though we often talk of faith as being “a personal thing,” this story from Scripture shows us, reminds us, that how we respond to God can and often does impact the people around us—family, friends, coworkers, classmates, neighbors.

Most of us at some time or another have run away from God, ignored God’s prompting in our lives. We have become Jonahs. And, like Jonah, the place to stop and begin our journey anew in the right direction is in prayer. Jonah prays, and God sets Jonah again on the right path. That act of prayer opens Jonah—and others—to what this story is really about: grace. Jonah experiences grace. The sailors on the ship experience grace. Nineveh experiences grace. This is how God is, and we see the very same thing in the Gospels when Peter turns away from Jesus. When he turns back, he finds grace.

This is the message of Jonah: No mater the storms of life, no matter how far we go, no matter anything, God’s grace—the unearnable, undeserved love and favor of God—awaits us when we turn our lives again to God and join God in the work of changing, saving, redeeming, healing, befriending the world around us. 

What have you been running from? What ‘nudge’ have you ignored? What whispers have you closed your ears to? Today, stop running, pray, and join God in the joyous, life-giving opportunities God has for you.

Sunday, August 31, 2025
“Lessons in Grace”
Watch/Listen: HERE

AfterWords: Discipline of Daniel

 

Daniel 6

For those who were in worship with us this past Sunday, all I can say is, “Wow!” Our children really stepped up as they led our worship service. Besides all of those who helped in service leadership and music, Anna and Julian shared from their hearts how God had been there for them just as God was there for Daniel when he was thrown into the lions’ den.

“Daniel in the Lions’ Den” is one of those stories that we often tell our children, a story we too often associate with Bible School or children’s Sunday School. However, God has a profound truth for all of us in this story. Daniel serves as an example for us. Daniel refuses to allow anything—even the threat of death—to keep him from his discipline of prayer. How easily are we swayed from our practice of spiritual disciplines?

When we join the United Methodist Church, we take our “church vows”: to pray, to be present, to give, to serve, and to tell our story of faith. We call them vows, but really these are spiritual disciplines—things we do that bring us closer to God, closer to one another, and closer to becoming who God wants us to be. How do we measure up beside Daniel in maintaining our disciplines?

Prayer? “I don’t have time today.” Too often, it an occasional ‘emergency parachute’ for difficult times. For Daniel, he would not begin his day without it—no matter the cost.

Presence? “If it’s convenient…” is some people’s attitude too often. We forget Christians around the world dream of the freedom to gather. We forget that men and women who have to work on Sundays long to be in worship this morning.

Giving? The evil one whispers, “You might not have enough. Wait! Don’t give yet—let’s see how things go.” But God promises to bless those who “bring the tithe” into the storehouse.

Serving—Using our Talents? “Hey…you show up…isn’t that enough?” Too many are reluctant to commit. Yet, God gives us talents and gifts that we might serve Him and others.

Story—Telling Others of God’s Love and Grace? Well, if we’re not doing the first four, we probably won’t have many stories of God’s love and grace. If the only story we have is the story of our coming to faith, then we’ve never grown out of being spiritual babies. We were “born again” as Jesus calls it in John 3, but we’re still in diapers. When we pray, show up, give, and serve, we gather story upon story of God’s love and grace and provision.

Daniel is for us an example of holding to the disciplines of faith no matter the cost. Daniel knew putting God first meant everything else in his life fell into order.

Sunday, August 24, 2025
“Discipline of Daniel”
Watch/Listen: HERE

AfterWords: Facing Giants

 

I Samuel 17:1-11; 32-50

We often associate the story of David & Goliath with children’s Sunday School or Vacation Bible School, but this is anything but a children’s story. The plot fills the stories of literature and film—the underdog overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles. I see this story in every John Grisham novel and in so many films, including my favorite: Star Wars.

Today’s giants are not 9’ tall with 30-pound spears. Rather, they’re regular people with 3-pound laptops; they’re ideas and ideologies; they’re economics and politics. They are any of those “rulers…authorities…powers of this dark world and…spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12). Like Goliath, the giants of our lives shout us down, curse us, and do all they can to instill fear in our lives. They threaten to break apart all we’ve made.

One giant threatens our relationships, our friendships, our families. When our family and friends walk in directions we think wrong, this giant raises his head to break us apart. Decisions, inaction, politics, spending—all of these are weapons of this giant. And, we need the right smooth stones to bring to these situations. One stone to combat this giant is silence. A shocking fact for many is this: We don’t have to respond to people; we don’t have to share our opinion. This important to remember, as is Paul’s admonition in his letter to the Romans: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (12:18). A second stone we bring to this giant is “gentle speech.” We can respond without diving into a brawl.

The “3 Practice Circle” teaches us to approach divisive conversations with disarming words and a desire to listen. Rather than roar back with fighting words, we use this simple phrase: “I’d be curious to know….” No one is threatened by mere curiosity. “I’d be curious to know what led you to this idea.” Then, we listen. We allow the other person to explain. And, we don’t respond—we don’t fire back with all the flaws we see in their explanation. Instead, we say, “Thank you for explaining—I understand you better.” We’re not agreeing. We’re not saying they’re right. We are saying in effect, ‘I heard you.’ And that is something we all crave—to be heard.

Financial uncertainties give space for another giant to plan worry and fear in our lives. This giant sees the taxes, tariffs, and rising costs-of-living and yells, “You don’t have enough!” We respond to this giant with the stone of trust—the very trust in God that has brought us to this moment, to this day. God has brought us this far, and God will carry us forward. We also have the stone of frugality—if we choose to pick it up. We chose to live simply and live through difficult times. Paul in his letter to the Philippian church says, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (4:11-13)

We face so many different giants today: Threats and taunts from illness, relationships, job situations, and more. We face these giants by gathering the smooth stones we find in Scripture.  With these stones and with God by our sides, we too will fell the giants before us and live a life of victory. 

Sunday, August 17, 2025
“Facing Giants”
Watch/Listen: HERE

AfterWords: "Christians & Politics"

 

Matthew 22:15-21

In 32 years of Christian ministry, I have never overtly touched the theme of politics in the pulpit. This past Sunday, that changed. We see so much division and disruption in our society today because of politics, I decided it was time. But, what to say? Where to start? I would never dream of using my place of leadership to turn our pulpit into a partisan megaphone…dividing things further. So, what to do? I decided to start with Jesus.

Where does Jesus stand on politics? He says very little to or about the political powers of his day. In today’s reading, he does recognize both the realities and separateness of earthly powers and God’s kingdom: Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s. He says little else about/to the political reality of his time. However, his selection of disciples reveals something important. In Matthew 10, we find Galileans (sort of outsiders), a tax collector (working for the Romans), and a Zealot (one passionate for the Jewish faith and culture). In Jesus’ band of disciples, we find people from all political walks of life…much as we find in our congregations (at least in our larger, urban congregations). Since Jesus chose who he wanted, this reveals a lot about Jesus’ response to the political landscape.

Where do we Christians often go wrong in this endeavor of politics? If we have followed Jesus, if we have read the Gospels, we know that Jesus was fiercely dedicated to the Kingdom of God, the Reign of God. We see what this kingdom-life looks like in Jesus and his teachings. In Luke 4, Kingdom work includes proclaiming good news to the poor, declaring freedom to the prisoners, declaring recovery of sight to the blind, and setting the oppressed free. In Matthew 24, Kingdom work means feeding the hungry, giving the thirsty something to drink, welcoming the stranger, clothing those without clothes, taking care of the sick, and visiting the prisoners. This is what Jesus focuses on in his ministry and calls us to focus on. No follower of Jesus would dispute this. We go wrong, however, when we expect the government to embrace this work and bring it into reality. If they do, great! But, we should not expect a mere temporal country to embrace the universal, eternal work of God. Countries and governments are about self-perpetuation, not about the Kingdom of God.

So, how do we live as faithful Christians in the 21^st political mess we have? First, we can follow the example of Jesus who says little to or about political realities, we embrace and take up Kingdom-work in our daily lives, and we let go of expectations of government to do the work we’re called to. With the freedom of speech we enjoy in the US, we should use our voices—gently and persistently—to nudge our nation, our government, and our politicians towards Kingdom values. But, let’s not get lost in the political muck, putting our trust in governments and politicians instead of putting our trust in God. And, let's not allow politics to divide us and rob us of the peace and joy God offers us.

Let's trust the goodness of God. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus. Let’s do the work of the Kingdom…today, now, where we are. Amen.

Sunday, August 10, 2025
“Christians & Politics”
Watch/Listen: HERE

AfterWords: Seven Deadly Sins / Life-Giving Virtues: Pride

 

Philippians 2:1-8

When our Christian ancestors left the cities and headed into the deserts in the 3rd and 4th Centuries AD, they truly thought they were fleeing the sins that weighed them down. But, when they got to their destinations and began building their new communities, they found that their sins had come with them. The deadliest of sins, pride, snuck up on them as they patted themselves on the back for making their escape, for being better and holier for having made their journey.

While there is a form of pride that is not a sin—that pride we take in a job well done, that pride in our children for their accomplishments—there is a pride that sets us above everyone else…and has us look down on those who have not become what we have, who don’t have the things we have. This is the pride of self-love. And, this kind of pride is deadly—robbing us of life-giving relationships and damaging our relationship with God.

Jesus shows us this pride in his parable of the pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18. The pharisee boasts of his holiness in prayer; the tax collector recognizes his utter lack before God. Jesus lifts up the tax collector as the hero in the story, as the one we’re to emulate.

Pride grows out the false perception that who we are and what we have is all our own doing. We think we are self-made men and women. Just a moment of thought and reflection reveals that we did not chose our own genetics; we did not give life to ourselves; we did not teach ourselves to read, write, and do simple arithmetic; we have not inspired ourselves. Tens if not hundreds of people have contributed to our lives. Yes, we may have made the best of what we have, but we are not the source of what we have.

When we watch the many music, TV, and movie awards shows (Academy Awards, CMT, etc.), the one commonality we find in the acceptance speeches of these great, creative, often-wealthy, amazing people is how many people they give thanks to confirming that who they are and what they’ve done comes from many people in their lives. Even they show us that we are not of our own making.

Scripture makes it very clear—there is no room for pride in the life of Christians. Not only are we able to come to the conclusions that logic offers above, but we also have the Scriptures that remind us we are ultimately made by God, created by God. We cannot be a people of pride—self-love—nor can we be a people of the opposite: self-loathing. We are not 'everything,' and we are not 'nothing.' We are completely loved and valuable to God. So, we let go of pride by embracing the middle way of humility—Christian humility. That is, we recognize who we are before God…who each and every human being is before God—created by God, loved by God, valued by God.

Sunday, July 27, 2025
“Seven Deadly Sins Life-Giving Virtues”
Watch/Listen: HERE

AfterWords: Seven Deadly Sins...Life-Giving Virtues: Envy

 

James 3:13-18

“Oh, how I wish I had what he has!” “If only I could enjoy that kind of vacation….” “My life would be so much better if I had a spouse like that.” “I wish I could look like that!” Envy is born out of seeing what someone else has and wishing we had it…wishing it were ours and not theirs. “Envy is resentment or sadness at another’s good fortune or excellence, …is more than simple jealousy because it includes the belief that another’s excellence or blessings lessens one’s own….” (https://www.britannica.com/topic/envy)

Psychological and medical studies reveal that envy leads to anxiety, insomnia, depression, cancer, and cardiovascular disease—all from feeling like our lives are lacking compared to others. On television, in movies, and on social media, we see people living amazing lives, eating exotic foods, enjoying obviously fulfilling relationships with the most attractive, fun, or clever people. We make hundreds if not thousands of comparisons every day…and we find our lives wanting.

Interestingly, “envy” comes from the Latin “Invidia” which means “not-sight.” While we are seeing and comparing ourselves to what we see on screens and in neighbors’ yards and in the work place, there is so much that we do not see. You and I know people who look amazing on Facebook, who look happy and “put together.” But the reality behind the image is brokenness, pain, loss, anger, and a host of other things. We would do well to stop ourselves when we see someone who seems to have what we want and remember there is much we do not see.

In Mark 7, Jesus calls envy “evil,” and in I Cor. 13, Paul points out that envy has no place in the life of Christian love. Our Christian ancestors were very right to include this among the deadly sins—this sin of envy breaks relationships and robs us of life. So what do we do? As we have seen all through this study of deadly sins, we know that envy is best replaced than merely erased.

In Philippians 4:5-7, Paul calls us to reject anxiety (a direct effect of envy) and embrace a life of “thanksgiving,” of gratitude. Rather than compare ourselves to others, we become grateful for what we have. We recognize that we will always have those around who have more and better and newer…and we must realize that we will always have those around us who have less and older. Instead of comparing, imagine being content, realizing that we are blessed in what we do have. Let us learn to be a thankful people and let go of being an envious people. Paul reminds us, “…godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (1 Tim. 6:6-7).

Sunday, July 20, 2025
“Seven Deadly Sins Life-Giving Virtues”
Watch/Listen: HERE

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[1] https://www.britannica.com/topic/envy

AfterWords: Seven Deadly Sins...Life-Giving Virtues -- Wrath

 

Romans 12:17-21

Today, we come to the sin of wrath…not be confused with mere anger. We all get angry from time to time. Jesus got angry. Paul got angry. Anger is a normal human emotion, and we’re told that anger grows out of our fears or our sense of injustice. When our child runs out in the street, we yell, we grab their arm…we’re angry…and we’re angry because we are afraid for our child’s life. When we see people robbed of basic services and rights, we get angry; when we see people taking advantage of the system, we get angry—both of these cause anger because a sense of justice is challenged.

But, wrath—in the context of these deadly sins—takes anger to the next level. Wrath means two things: 1) I have taken the offense personally, and 2) I want to get even; I want vengeance. On a national level, when we discovered that Osama Bin-Laden and al-Qaeda were responsible for the 9/11 attack on our country, we wanted vengeance. We began the “war on terror”…a war that continues to this day. On a personal level, we feel attacked or offended daily as we drive—especially if one lives in the Rio Grande Valley. People pull out in front of us, make incredibly dangerous U-turns, and cross three lanes of traffic at the last minute to make a sudden exit. And, of course, at work, in our communities, and even in our own families—we are offended, challenged, endangered…and we want revenge.

Paul’s letter to Romans tells us, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (12:19). We can be angry, but we can’t allow our anger to grow into wrath…something that moves us towards revenge. Paul simply echoes Jesus: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also” (Matt. 5:38-39). So, our Christian ancestors are right when they call this a ‘deadly sin’—it destroys relationships and robs us of life. We have got to abandon the attitudes and behaviors of wrath. How?

First, we accept and trust that what God says in Scripture is true. We believe it…and allow belief to impact our actions. God’s Word says God will get the revenge, God will set things right. Then, we stop planning revenge (for some of you, you’re not going to know what to do with all that spare time!) But, now that we know, we stop. Maya Angelou says, “When we know better, we do better.” Finally, we replace wrath with kindness. Paul writes, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21)

Besides, when has vengeance ever fixed a situation? When has revenge ever made things right? Never. When US Special Forces killed Bin-Laden in 2011, did it make things right, did we regain a sense of safety in America? When we jump in front of the bad driver and slow down just to "show them," does it really fix anything? So, we put aside wrath, and we respond with goodness and kindness—we pray for others, we allow others to go first, we presume they need something we don’t see. And, if there has been any injustice, we trust God to make things right--in God's way, at God's time. When we do, we let go of life-robbing attitudes and behaviors and embrace the life-giving way of Jesus.

Sunday, July 13, 2025
“Seven Deadly Sins Life-Giving Virtues”
Watch/Listen: HERE