When I was growing up in Lancaster, PA, my best friend, Luke was the son of a Greek Orthodox priest. Since I was the son of a Lutheran pastor, we had a look to talk about, often comparing and contrasting our different traditions. The one difference that always stood out to me was Easter, as it...
Luke 7:36-50
posted by DJL
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind him at his...
How Can You Become a...
posted by DJL
Eve Mirriam, a native of Philadelphia, captures something of the beauty of not just poetry but also, I think, creativity itself. She invites us to consider making two moves: the first is attentiveness. Trace it’s shape, pay attention to its movement, follow its life, chew and smell and see...
Luke 7:31-35
posted by DJL
“To what then will I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the market-place and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep.’ For John the Baptist has come...
If This Is Your Picture of Evangelism…
posted by DJL
…Then maybe it’s time to start Rethinking Evangelism! There’s an old joke that, while it names Lutherans, I suspect could be applied to most “mainline” Protestants and Roman Catholics: Q: What do you get when you cross a Lutheran with a Seventh Day Adventist? A: Someone who goes door-to-door but has no idea what to say! There’s something both funny and just a little bit painful about that joke precisely because it’s true. Lutherans…and Presbyterians and Methodists and Episcopalians and Roman Catholics, as well…often are incredibly uncomfortable when we talk about evangelism largely because we assume that evangelism...
Luke 7:29-30
posted by DJL
(And all the people who heard this, including the tax-collectors, acknowledged the justice of God, because they had been baptized with John’s baptism. But by refusing to be baptized by him, the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves.) Just in case we may...
The Attractive Lie of Having Just a Little More
posted by DJL
Name the one thing that, if you could get it tomorrow, would make you totally happy. If you’re at all like me, you probably had no trouble thinking of something. Or, actually, if you had a problem, it was limiting yourself to just one thing. And therein lies the key, actually, to our unhappiness. Somewhere along the line, we bought into the idea that if we could only get a little more we’d be happy. A little more money, a little more vacation time, a little better car or house, a little better job, a fancy new gadget… any of these things – depending on who you are – will make you happy. But it’s a lie. A lie constructed by our...
Luke 7:24-28
posted by DJL
When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who put on fine clothing and live in luxury are in...
Courage, Beauty, and an Escape from North Korea
posted by DJL
Ever try to limit yourself to just three words when you try to describe something special: a wonderful meal? a great movie? a favorite book? It can be really, really challenging. But at other times, on rare occasions, it’s incredibly easy. That’s the case with this TED Talk by Hyeonseo Lee as she talks about her escape from North Korea and subsequent life as a refugee and, eventually, activist. Three words: courageous, compelling, and (especially in light of our recent discussions) beautiful. I’ll say no more, except that to watch this video is to gain an appreciation for freedom, courage, and the human spirit. Note: If you are...
Luke 7:18-23
posted by DJL
The disciples of John reported all these things to him. So John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” When the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are...
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