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ON Scripture
Immigration Reform and the Challenges of Generosity (Luke 4:22-30)
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Odyssey Networks
By Matthew L. Skinner Charity doesn’t leave us unchanged, which is just one reason why it’s hard to make ourselves do it. To be more specific: when we extend generosity and justice to others, it alters our relationship to them. Especially when those “others” are foreign to us. Hospitality has ways of making the people…
A Vision for America: John 2:1-11
By
Odyssey Networks
By Reverend Dr. Alvin O’Neal Jackson “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” John 2:10 Occupy the Dream Spurred on by the Occupy Wall Street movement, African-American leaders have banded together to forge…
Waiting on the Messiah and Presidential Expectations: A Study of Luke
By
Odyssey Networks
By David A. Sánchez, Ph.D. It is an odd juxtaposition, December 21, 2012 and January 21, 2013. The former date representing the “so-called” Mayan apocalypse where the usual suspects prepared for the end of the world – many of whom were Christians awaiting the second coming of Christ – and the latter date, which is…
Frankincense, Myrrh and a Toothbrush? Matthew 2:1-12
By
Odyssey Networks
By Lisa Nichols Hickman In As I Lay Dying, the main character Anse appears self-absorbed when at his wife’s death he says, “God’s will be done. . . . Now I can get them teeth.” His character will certainly not be remembered for altruism. But Anse will be remembered for the physical effects of poverty:…
The Hell of Parenting: A Study of 1 Samuel
By
Odyssey Networks
By Jacob D. Myers Few narratives in the Hebrew Bible are more foreign to us than this week’s lectionary.We do not give away our children. In a society determined by socio-economic forces utterly beyond the control of individual citizens (e.g., globalization) we do our best to prepare ourselves for the inevitability of change. But what…
On the Fiscal Cliff with John the Baptist: Luke 3:7-18
By
Odyssey Networks
By Carolyn J. Sharp Recently I had the unsettling experience of receiving unsolicited financial advice from John the Baptist. Not directly, of course— his counsel was mediated through an ancient codex, the Gospel of Luke. Written in the latter part of the first century, this text has been lovingly interpreted by monks, artists, preachers, musicians,…
After the Chaos Ends: Jeremiah 33:14-16
By
Odyssey Networks
By Amy Erickson Jeremiah’s promise of a future restoration for Israel and Judah centers on the image of a righteous branch. This image, while somewhat strange to our culture, carries along with it a rich and varied tradition, deeply rooted in the world and literature of the Old Testament. The tree of life in the…
A Different Kind of King: John 18: 33 – 37
By
Odyssey Networks
By Barbara K. Lundblad Delores Williams, wise theologian and teacher, was my colleague when I first came to Union Seminary. She grew up in the South and remembers Sunday mornings when the minister shouted out: “Who is Jesus?” The choir responded in voices loud and strong: “King of kings and Lord Almighty!” Then, little Miss…
Signs That the End Is Near: Mark 13:1-8
By
Odyssey Networks
By Adam J. Copeland No matter the tragedy these days, some religious leader or blogger will attempt to connect it to God’s judgment. Some say superstorm Sandy was God’s wrath on liberal New York and New Jersey. Others fault 9/11 on “the homosexual agenda,” whatever that is. Many argue July’s shooting in Aurora, Colorado, would…
The Value of Chump Change: Mark 12:38-44
By
Odyssey Networks
By Greg Carey Is poverty what it used to be? Or has poverty grown so shameful that we dare not speak its name? So determined are we keep poverty out of view, we erase the presence of the poor from Jesus’ teachings. The widow we encounter in Mark 12:38-44 provides a case study in poverty…
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