The Word of God we hear today confronts us with a profound and awful truth: We are free, and our freedom matters. God says something that feels both terrifying and liberating: "I have placed before you fire and water; good and evil; life and death and you must stretch out your hand and choose." This choice is real. It is not manipulated, pre-ordained, or “given.” God does not place a thumb on the scale, load the dice, or throw a penalty flag before the play. Holiness is not forced upon us;...

Dear Preachers, what follows is not a homily, but rather some thoughts, incomplete and inadequate as they are, on preaching in this time of divisive civil and religious disruption. I am not a pastor. I do not have to make the daily choices you must make to keep your community engaged, stable, and spiritually alive. I offer these thoughts because the question, " How do we preach the Beatitudes and Isaiah 58 in this season?" will not go away. The passage from Isaiah is challenging, no doubt,...

The Beatitudes all open with the familiar word, “Blessed.” Those who endure oppression and hardships as well as those who are of Christ-like character …both are called blessed. The trials and tribulations include those who remain in grief, mourning some devastating loss. But those who are poor in spirit are also named as blessed. On the other hand, we live in a world where to be “blessed” means to be filled with the means for happy lives. With such blessings we can achieve prosperity and gain...