When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” Throwing down the...

As anyone who reads this blog knows, I am a huge fan of the TED Conferences and the resulting Talks they produce. Despite recent critiques of being, for instance, too focused on inspiration or too prone to oversimplifying complex ideas, I still find them remarkably informative,...

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor. It’s been, to say the least, a very long night. What began with an intimate...

I’ve seen two church signs in the last week that, instead of announcing this week’s sermon or offering a biblical word of encouragement, read simply and pointedly: “Whoever is praying for snow, please stop!” In that spirit – and knowing that across at least the north half of the U.S....

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it before all of them, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she...

It doesn’t get much sweeter than this. A group of Massachusetts firefighters report to the scene of a stuck elevator. When they put up a ladder to bring people down, they realize one of the occupants – four year old Kaelyn – is visibly upset, so one of the firefighters,...

Then they spat in his face and struck him; and some slapped him, saying, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who is it that struck you?” It’s the abuse that I find most difficult. Much of the Passion, when you read as slowly as we are, is hard to endure. From the agony of the garden to the...

Then the high priest said to him, “I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds...

We’re just about smack dab in the middle of Lent, a time when we tone things down in worship and life in order to hear God’s whisper of love in and through the cross of Jesus. For this reason Lent is typically a bit more serious, even somber, than other seasons and worship tends to...