I want to begin my introductory editorial comments with the expression of much gratitude to all my predecessors, especially the most immediate, Rev. Dr. Jin Hee Han whose calm yet compelling call to me to …
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By Obery Hendricks
This paper was presented by Obery Hendricks, Ph.D., Professor of Biblical Interpretation at New York Theological Seminary and past President of Payne Theological Seminary, as the 8th Annual George W. Webber Lecture on Urban Ministry at New York Theological Seminary, on February 6, 2003.
by Dale T. Irvin
Christian initiation in the first centuries came through baptism, which was understood to be through water or by blood. Both were understood to be means by which the Spirit worked, for incorporation into the life of the church and the filling of the Spirit could not be separated. All Christian baptism was understood to be baptism of the spirit. To be incorporated into the community was to be given life, to come alive, to have Spirit.
by Mark Hamilton
What is the difference between a church and an airport? The question seemed less off-the-wall to me than it might as I waited in an odd corner of the Frankfurt International Airport for my plane to Zagreb. Tired, stiff, with swollen feet and stupefied mind, I felt like the alien I was….
by Rev. Dr. Keith A. Russell
The focus of this issue is on home. The question of what is home is explored from a variety of perspectives.
by Nancy Bloomer
It is difficult to conceive of a single, isolated human in a state of shalom. An important aspect of shalom—which I understand to mean
perfection, wholeness, health, and fullness—is belonging. Being rooted in and connected to a community in all its particularity of people,
place, and things is a necessary ingredient for a sustained sense of well-being.
by Linda Lee Clader
Our Christian home is now, in ministry with Christ and through Christ, as members of his living Body. And that means that we are constantly on the move—not because we are on a quest for some distant prize or goal, but because we share Christ’s continuing mission of service.
by Rev. Dr. LeAnn Snow Flesher
Reflections on the Lectionary Readings for September.
by Rev. Dr. Rebecca Pugh Brown
Reflections on the Lectionary Readings for August.
by Keith A. Russell
The focus of this issue is on home. The question of what is home is explored from a variety of perspectives.
by Dale T. Irvin, Ph.D.
There is something inherently urban about Christian life and something inherently Christian about urban life.
Title: Fish on Fire
Artist: Piety Choi
Size: 40"x40"
Mixed Media on Wooden Panel
This painting is based on the story at the end of the gospel of John in which the risen Christ came to his disciples on the morning of his resurrection and broiled the fish for them. To the wooden panel I attached the actual pieces of burnt burlap fabric and used acryl paint to reproduce a scene of broiling. While the Johannine passage is commonly understood as the risen Christ telling the world that he has risen and has returned to provide hope as well as hope-filled nourishment, I remember that fire also has the cleansing power of the fire of the Holy Spirit. According to other gospel traditions, Peter had denied Jesus three times. Jesus’ feeding of his disciples with the fish by the sea of Tiberias, however, has no trace of condemnation. In this scene, Jesus said to Peter, “Do you love me?” Jesus then asked Peter to tend his sheep. Divine justice might call to mind fire as punishment, but I cherish the power of the Lord’s fire that cleanses our soul from the stains of sin. There I see the path to renewal and new life.
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