Why do we create art? Why do we patronize the arts? Is it a waste of time and money?
Fear and suffering have ways of recalibrating even our most heartfelt convictions.
Rev. Susan Pendleton Jones and Dr. George Cladis offer three sermons outlines about faith and work. This issue focuses on rest, kindness...
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! ...
The ending of the Gospel of Mark presents multiple mysteries. Most English Bibles print several options for the concluding verses of Mark 16, usually with notes that explain the manuscript evidence.
Mark 15:43 introduces a man named Joseph, who was from Arimathea, a small town northwest of Jerusalem. He is identified as “an honored member of the high council.”
In my last reflection, I focused on the women who were faithful to Jesus even as he was crucified. Their example stood in contrast to that of the male disciples who deserted Jesus.
Before Christ died, Peter did the “unthinkable.” He rejected Jesus. He denied any personal association with "this man." Peter was not alone, of course, because all of his disciples deserted him.
Jesus found a way to express the cry of his heart: Why had God abandoned him? Why did his Father turn his back on Jesus in his moment of greatest agony?
Jesus had said this would happen. For quite some time, he had predicted his suffering and death. The first time came right after Peter confessed him to be the Messiah.
There’s no doubt that Peter truly believed he would never, ever deny Jesus. He and his fellow disciples were sure that they would die for Jesus rather than deny him.
After Jesus was arrested, he was taken to the home of the high priest in Jerusalem. There, many accused him, but Jesus remained silent. Finally, the high priest questioned him directly.
Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane is, in my opinion, the most unexpected prayer ever. There is no prayer in Scripture...
Almost all Christians remember the events of the Last Supper and reenact those events on a regular basis. Some of us call this “Communion.” Others call it the “Eucharist” or the “Lord’s Supper.”
Recognizing how expensive her perfume was (perhaps around $20,000 in today’s money), they objected when she anointed Jesus with it.
In the days before his passion, Jesus took a break from teaching in the Temple of Jerusalem in order to spend some time with his followers and friends in Bethany.
Mark 13:32 is one of the most shocking verses in all of Scripture. At least it shocked me when, as a young man, I first read it.
On January 12, 2010, the people of Haiti were in dire straits as a result of a major earthquake that rocked their nation. As often happens in a tragedy like this, many people responded.
When Jesus was asked by one of the Jewish theologians which was the greatest commandment of all, he began by quoting a crucial passage from the Jewish law.
How can we love the Lord with our minds? This begins, I would suggest, with choosing to think about God.
