Dear Partner in Preaching, Notice one thing: before Mary says “yes,” she is blessed. Why does this matter? Because I think it captures not only the important role Mary plays in the Gospel story but also reveals a central dynamic of the Christian life. First, to Mary. She is regularly hailed as a model of faith for her acceptance of the role God invites her to play as the mother of Jesus. And for good reason. Throughout Luke’s Gospel, the willingness to trust the promises of God is the mark of discipleship. And so Elizabeth believes that in her old age she will nevertheless bear John, and the disciples believe they will fish for people,...

There are any number of ways in which the various committees on which we serve or positions we may hold make valuable contributions to the organizations of which we are a part. I am absolutely certain of that. At the same time, while holding positions and serving on committees may be valuable, that is not necessarily the same as accomplishing things. I know that may initially sound odd, but we probably all know – and have perhaps served on – committees that don’t get much done. And we have all seen – and perhaps been invited into – positions that are largely routine or representational. Building things, accomplishing things,...

One of the comments to this week’s Dear Partner in Preaching, on “Practicing Advent,” raised a great question: is inviting people to practice sharing their faith law and, if so, where is the Gospel? I ask this kind of question myself all the time. But to help you ask and answer it with me, I’ll offer a little bit of background. I am a Lutheran preacher. And when it comes to preaching, the most important thing for Lutherans is to distinguish rightly between law and gospel. (Actually, it’s not only Lutherans who focus on this distinction, but we certainly talk about it a lot!) In short, law stands for all those things that come to us...

Maybe I liked this 15 minute TED Talk because it deals with veterinarians and my daughter very much wants to be a vet. Or maybe I love the interdisciplinary approach Dr. Natterson-Horowitz advocates. Or maybe I just see this as another example of the power of embracing diversity, this time embracing the insights one can gain about one species by looking to a diversity of species. Or maybe I just like the word “zoobiquity. Or maybe…. Truth be told, there are a number of reasons I appreciated this TED Talk and hope you do, too. Note: If you are receiving this post by email, you may need to click the title at the top of the post in...