Psalm 46 Colossians 1:9-20, 24-29 The reading from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians seems like an appropriate scripture for my sixty seventh birthday. Paul’s words to the Christians living in today’s Turkey combine spirituality, theology and practical guidance. God is everywhere, and Paul gives us a vision of a Christ-filled universe.   Christ is the guiding […]

Isaiah 65:17-25 On Sunday, March 21st, 1965, nearly 8,000 people gathered in Selma, Alabama and began a march to Montgomery. Leading the march was a young Baptist preacher, Martin Luther King Jr.  They were marching for justice, equality, and the American dream.  They couldn’t wait any longer for the right to vote.  They had tried […]

Luke 20:27-38 Whenever he is asked a controversial question, a colleague of mine responds with, “how much time do you have?” He believes, as I do, that the most important ethical and theological questions in life – abortion, physician-assisted death, the divinity of Jesus, the future of our planet, the problem of evil – cannot […]

Luke 19:1-10 Once upon a time, we used the term “stature” to speak of our national leaders. Stature indicated a type of large spiritedness and willingness to embrace grand visions for our nation, forgive political enemies, and look beyond ego to the welfare of the nation and the planet.  We think of George Washington refusing […]