But that would be missing the point.
Jesus wants us to enter into the awe-inspiring reality that God works in ways that, to human logic, seem almost impossible. A seed has to die in order to bring life; and in spite…
« read »One such example can be found in how Israel came to understand (and sometimes misunderstand) itself and its relationship to God.
God’s words to the Hebrews after being liberated from Egyptian slavery must have sounded too good to be true: “If you…
« read »The hurt becomes a wound that leaves a scar.
On the other hand, she taught us that we should say the words, “I forgive you,” then do the work of being forgiving and the feeling would follow. In my life, when…
« read »” Surely twice is not as far as we can go. The Bible tells us that God is not nearly so miserly.
When Jesus was instructing his followers about the need to be forgiving, Peter must have begun to understand that…
« read »Other pieces were purchased at garage sales. Everyone is hoping to discover from the experts that their item is a treasure beyond compare.
It is fair to say that Jesus wants his listeners and his followers to discover that we too…
« read »As a child, that window invited me to feel at home, and I did.
The familiar scene is a combination of two Bible stories. One is a teaching from Jesus about what it takes to be great in the kingdom of…
« read »It is the story of the weeds among the wheat (13:24-30), which in Matthew occurs immediately following the more familiar parable of the sower. The story of the farmer generously sowing seed in all kinds of ground is also found in…
« read »Easter reminds us that at the core of our faith is the confidence that death is never the final word from God. The final word is always life.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus compares himself to the sheepfold and gate…
« read »But perhaps the stories Jesus shared have become too familiar to us. Familiarity might numb us to their power. If we allow ourselves to hear these now recurring stories with “fresh ears” we might find that many of them are…
« read »New Scripture series columns by Catherine Upchurch on embracing the kingdom of God…
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