Year A – Fourth Sunday in Lent
Back in 2005, some Turkish shepherds were watching a flock of 1500 sheep. While they were taking a break to eat breakfast, one of the sheep went off the edge of a cliff, falling some 50 meters to its death. Another sheep followed. Then another. And in a matter of minutes, the shepherds watched in […]
Read MoreYear A – Third Sunday in Lent
“We also boast in our sufferings.” Let that sit in your ear for a moment. It’s so counterintuitive, so contrary to common sense, and so offbeat with the regular rhythms of human reason that we need a second to let it soak in. Paul has just declared that Christ brings us peace and we boast […]
Read MoreYear A – Second Sunday in Lent
When I was in fourth grade, our class took a field trip to Camp Greenville, a lovely camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains near the South Carolina-North Carolina border. Camp Greenville’s trademark feature is an enchanting open-air chapel called “Pretty Place.” At the front of the chapel is a large cross, and behind it is […]
Read MoreYear A – First Sunday in Lent
One day, we were packing the car for a trip to North Carolina. A church I previously pastored had invited me back to preach their homecoming service, and we were going to visit friends in Winston-Salem, too. After we loaded the last suitcase, I noticed three sizeable bags of trash that I hadn’t taken to […]
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