by Bruce Schuchard “Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah, the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me’” (Jon 3:1–2). But Jonah was not happy. In fact, Jonah was most displeased (4:1–3), disillusioned, and determined not to ..
by William Utech This text comes from a time in the history of the people of Israel when “the word of the Lord was rare” (v. 1), and on the heels of the time of the Judges when “all the people did what was right in their own eyes” (Jgs 21:25). In fact, in chapter two ..
In preparing for a class on “The Bible as Literature,” I discovered again how time and space are transformed by one written word
E.J. Dionne raised the question at a recent lecture at nearby Washington University. Perhaps the better question to ask is this: Can I love my neighbor?
by Jeffrey Kloha Perhaps no passage bears as much gravitas—and controversy—as Genesis 1:1. In our context, the text will immediately bring to mind the modernist “science vs. faith” controversy. The philosophical and cultural issues that prevent hearing this text are many, on both sides. And the exegetical difficulties pile up in this short section; the meaning ..
In the last post, I mentioned a few examples of human influence on earth that have prompted many to now speak of the Anthropocene Epoch, the age of human transformation of the planet. But as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words (or more. Since then, I’ve run across several things that help us to visualize the extent of our impact upon the earth, both for good and ill
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, will offer a one-day pre-Lenten workshop for pastors on Friday, January 20, 2012 called “Seeing is Not Believing: The Passion Story in Mark,” with themes for mid-week Lenten services and Holy Week
by Henry Rowold Sometimes Christians find the prophetic writings strange territory because those writings seem to be an unending boiling and churning of divine wrath and horrifying judgment. The New Testament seems to be much more familiar territory in terms of knowledge and content. In reality, there is plenty of judgment in the New Testament ..
by Paul Devantier Today, we wait for word of some important event by staying close to the television, the radio, the Internet, or to our cell phones. We sit in the waiting room of a surgical unit at the hospital, hoping expectantly for the sound of the doctor’s footsteps coming out of surgery to tell us ..
What happens when we use the term “mercy” to describe our actions toward our neighbor or the church’s orientation to the world?
by Jeffrey A. Gibbs The reading offers, in its OT context, a strong example of the truth that “God’s ways are higher and greater than our ways.” Specifically, the reading presents a powerful contrast between David’s (and Nathan’s) understanding of what the God of Israel planned to do for his people and their king on the ..
We’ve done it. We’ve remade creation according to our own needs, desires, and vision. And so it is now different than it has ever been before
by William Wrede Behold Your Salvation The Season of Advent presents unique challenges not only for the preacher but for the congregation as well. While shorter than Lent, the pastor and the people may find the challenges of Advent to be significant. How do you schedule special programs prepared by the day school, Sunday school, choir, ..
by David Wollenburg The Old Testament lesson for today does more than simply serve as the first lesson for this day; it summarizes the theme of Advent 2. Indeed, it summarizes the message of this entire season of the church year, and then it moves us to respond. It can be said that this remarkable passage ..
by Leopoldo A. Sánchez M. The song goes that, after Deuteronomy, Isaiah is the most monotheistic book in the Old Testament. The confession of faith that the Shema (“Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One”) sums up reminds the people of Israel that there is only one God who deserves ..
The disciples inspected the oars, while Jesus made a bench. It gets dark after that . .