e. e. cummings’ unconvential use of grammar, syntax, and style forces you to slow down as you read his poetry in order, not just to decipher, but more to savor the meaning he is crafting and offering over to his reader. Born into a Unitarian family, cummings’ poetry is infused with a sense of God – God’s Being, God’s presence in nature, and God’s goodness, a goodness that in turn prompts cummings’ profound and lyrical gratitude. With that in mind, this seemed like a fine poem to tarry over for a few moments as we move toward Thanksgiving, a day we also ought to slow down and savor, offering our own...

Given that we’re one week away from this colossal cultural phenom, it seems like a good time to ask the question. Actually, my friend, colleague, and Sermon Brainwave buddy Rolf Jacobson has written a fantastic article in response to this question on Luther Seminary’s wonderful and free web resource, Enter the Bible. In that piece, Rolf responds, quite honestly, that we frankly don’t know whether Jesus would shop on Black Friday. Having said that, though, that doesn’t mean we can’t think theologically about our relationship to the day and, even more, to our habits and pattens of shopping and our relationship to money more...