“Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.”

This past week was the 27^th Festival of Homiletics, thus the tardy post for the column this …

Love is hard. So very hard.

If you don’t think so, just look at what the Revised Common Lectionary does for this Sunday. Rather than tell the truth …

I will never forget the first time I saw a real shepherd. I was leading my first trip to Israel/Palestine of a group of students from Luther Seminary. It …

Right on the heels of Thomas, we have the story of Peter, another character in the Gospel of John often misinterpreted. Perhaps not as misrepresented as …

Poor Thomas. Always the Sunday after Easter. Always misunderstand. We think Thomas doubts, but he doesn’t. As if that is a bad thing. As if faith …

Happy Easter, Dear Working Preachers!

As I write this, I am wondering which resurrection narrative you are preaching on and why. Luke or John? Back in …

Dear Working Preachers, I suspect that your Holy Week plans and preaching are well in place by now. The palms are ready. The supper is prepared. The passion …

I wonder if in this moment, when Jesus is being loved with a grace upon grace kind of love, an abundance of love, a love that you could even smell, with …

A familiar parable such as the Prodigal Son should invite a wealth of perspectives. We might think we know the meaning of the story. Perhaps this time around, …

"Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?”

If Jesus didn’t ask this …

“When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.”

This is the verse behind the Gospel passage for this …

The problem with Jesus’ testing in Matthew, Mark, and Luke is how quickly we switch the focus from Jesus’ trials to our own temptations -- as …

The Transfiguration is always a tricky story, isn’t it? Were it not for the fact that it’s the designated text bridging the seasons of Epiphany …

There are many ways to describe and define the Bible. From assertions that are mostly faith-based, such as “Scripture” or “Word of God”; …

At first blush, we could easily assess Luke’s version of the Beatitudes as simply different than Matthew’s. After all, each is demonstrative …