The past few weeks I’ve been considering the subject of the anointing — as in the anointing of Jesus recalled in all four Gospels, and it led me this week to dwell on the concept of “the empty cup”.
The Empty Cup
A Sufficient Response
The Frugal Prodigal
It is in this sense of the word that we see the actions of the father in this parable, and I wonder if that isn’t the point that Jesus also meant to make — that of God’s overflowing, unconditional forgiveness in love when we turn back to him, whether as the returning prodigal or as the frugal elder brother who is “always with” him.
Pouring Contempt on My Pride
A piece appeared last Saturday in the New York Times Sunday Review titled Our Culture of Contempt. I thought about it during the past week as I saw it shared and discussed on social media and as I reflected on the current political climate and the fallout from the 2019 called General Conference of the United Methodist Church.
On the Way Forward
I received an email written by a good friend and fellow church member to our pastor on the subject of the upcoming special called General Conference of the United Methodist Church. Our pastor is a delegate from our Annual Conference to that meeting in St. Louis, Missouri . . . I hesitated before responding because I really hate that this issue is so divisive
The Unhardened Heart
Don't Look Back
The athletic metaphor of running a race and striving toward the goal is fine, and one that Paul used often, but let’s look at the meaning behind the metaphor so that we can apply it to our lives. We discussed one way to look at in class last Sunday — forgetting things “behind us” may enable us to overcome past mistakes or ways of living that would otherwise be obstacles.
The Hometown People
Dogged Persistence
The Daily Scripture reading for the Adult Bible Studies series was Mark 7:24-30.
I've contemplated this passage in the past, but found myself paying particular attention this week. First, I saw some comparisons that might be made to the Wedding at Cana passage that I wrote about recently. In both passages, we're struck by the seemingly callous initial response of Jesus. And, in both passages, we see the faith of the woman in the story prevail.
