Luke 24:36b-48 Dear Partner in Preaching, Late again; short again; sorry again. But here it is: I think the following is one of the most engaging, hopeful, and beautiful lines in Scripture: “While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, Jesus said to them….” Why do I love this verse? Three reasons. First, wonder, disbelief, and joy. I have to imagine that one of these three words accurately describes just about everyone who will walk through the doors of our church this Sunday. Some come wondering what they may find, earnestly hoping for a word that makes sense not just to them, but of them. Some come for the sake of...
John 20:1-3
posted by DJL
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the...
Matthew 9:32-34
posted by DJL
After they had gone away, a demoniac who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed and said, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “By the ruler of the demons he...
Luke 24:12
posted by DJL
But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened. Sometimes I think that faith, at heart, is simply the capacity to wonder. There are, I think, two ways to approach this world: with knowledge...
Do We Trust Our Children Enough?
posted by DJL
Robert Krulwich, NPR’s science correspondent, recently posted on his blog the story of a remarkable nine-year old boy who gets dubbed “the philosopher” for his views on the world, the universe, the question of free will and destiny, and more, all in just a few minutes. Except, as Krulwich explains via his interview of the film’s maker, the boy isn’t that unusual. Bright, yes; extraordinary, probably not. Except perhaps in this: his parents have gotten into the habit of asking him profound questions and taking seriously his answers. His parents, in other words, trust his ability to think, to reason, to wonder, and to offer his...