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 Dr. Mark W. Hamilton
Even if one believes, like that wild-eyed rancher cum prophet, Amos of Tekoa, that God has roared like a lion a message of indictment and hope, still, finding the nerve and stamina and necessary external support of a friend or two requires an effort of will and a streak of independence.
by Katharyn L. Waldron
It is no longer “enough” for us to visit people in prison; justice demands a fuller response to the Gospels.
by Paul Bryant-Smith
As we consider end-of-life care for our loved ones and for ourselves, we are often struck by the difficulties that arise as a result of the improvements in medical technologies that have prolonged human life well beyond anything that could have been imagined even a few decades ago.
by William N. Lovell
But the Christian pacifist who is committed to the purpose and will of God as shown in Jesus Christ over and against any present crisis situation, whose antecedent causes and effects are complex and manifold, acknowledges his or her inability to provide a responsible solution to every particular evil, monstrous as it may be. Such a pacifist must be willing finally to have failed for not having an answer, in seeming defeat, in order to witness to love as the ultimate purpose of God over all.
by Robert LaRochelle
The actions we take and the choices we make reflect if we are followers of Christ, children of God, doing the very best we can with our talents, gifts and strengths.
by Rev. Roger R. Gustafson
When our best attempts to live up to that demand run into opposition, what are we to do?
by Michael Monshau
When ethical issues are conveyed within the language of morality and become phenomena to be encountered in the course of virtue formation, the preacher can approach the contentious issues of the day with far greater confidence.
by Kirk Woodward
Reflections on the Lectionary Readings for September 2008.
by David Neil Mosser
Reflections on the Lectionary Readings for August 2008.
by Harold Dean Trulear and Kimberly Rogers
Reflections on the Lectionary Readings for July 2008.
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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