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“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever” [John 14:16 (NRSV)]. The Reverend Dr. Sam Wells, former Dean of Duke University Chapel, now “merely” the vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields at Trafalgar Square, in central London, has written and lectured extensively on what, for lack of a better term, might be called “social engagement.” In doing so, Sam is neither offering comments on how far we should stand apart during the COVID-19 pandemic, nor is he giving advice on which London Dry one should prefer — e.g., Hendricks or Tanqueray. In a bit of a round-about designed to draw us closer…

“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” [John 14:2]. One of the most beloved, and yet, as I attempt to explain below, misunderstood passages in all of John’s gospel is what I refer to as Jesus’ “Heavenly Hostel” talk found in the opening three verses of John 14. These verses are part of the three-chapter “Final Discourse” of Christ within which he gives the Eleven — Judas has already departed to put his scheme into play — some last minute guidance and assurance. As I have written elsewhere, these…

“He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” [Psalm 23:3b]. I don’t know about you, but I’m in a bit of a rut. I’m trying not to complain, but except for (a) my daily walk, and (b) a few hours during the past two Saturday evenings, when Jane and I have joined son, Walker, at his new house for a nice, take-out dinner (avec du vin) — don’t tell Governor Cooper — I haven’t left the house now for more than two weeks. I know, I know, for some of you, it’s actually much worse than that. For example, one wonderful couple from my Carolina Arbors…

While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him [Luke 24:15-16]. With a tip of the hat to my first writing teacher, Ms. Geraldine Johnston, at Huss High School so long ago, I’ve learned that writers should try to avoid the use of the passive tense. Yet, particularly when it is used sparingly, the passive voice can communicate a point with great clarity. So it is with the verses quoted above from St. Luke’s gospel. In this quite familiar “on the road” story, Cleopas, and an unnamed companion, are walking to Emmaus during the afternoon hours of…

Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you” [John 20:19b]. Some years ago, a friend called to say that I needed to “come over and see it.” The “it” was his newly completed residence. He’d spent several years in careful planning. He’d seen to every detail and now his project was finished. He was appropriately proud. After his tour of the various living spaces, he winked at me and said, “I’ve got one more thing to show you.” We went downstairs — his house had a significant grade that provided for a finished basement that was almost as large as the first floor. With his knuckles,…

They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” [Mark 16:3]. As I have joked with many friends, I had some serious concerns when I finally surrendered to Yahweh’s call for me to enter Duke Divinity School back in 1986. Chief among them was whether I’d be required to study Greek. “No, you’re a Methodist,” was the quick reply from Dr. Paula Gilbert, the Director of Admissions. “Greek won’t be required for you. Now if you were a Presbyterian …,” she added, with a mischievous wink. In my three years in “Div School,” I learned a lot, including…

”The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame” [Isaiah 50:9]. The Revised Common Lectionary appoints the same OT passage every year for Palm or Passion Sunday: the familiar “Suffering Servant” pericope found in Isaiah 50:4-9a. I suspect you’ve heard it read many times. Scholars say the servant portrayed here in chapter 50 is likely the same figure who, in chapter 40, responded to God’s summons to “Comfort, O comfort my people!” — the one who fervently asks of God: “What shall I cry?” [Isaiah 40:6]. The servant in…

”Mortal, can these bones live?” [Ezekiel 37:3a] For almost four years now, my favorite day of the week (other than Sunday, of course) has been Wednesday. That is because on Wednesdays, first at 11:00 a.m., and then again at 1:30 p.m., I’ve been privileged to teach two Bible studies at Carolina Arbors, a 55+ “active seniors” community in southern Durham. There are about 30 of us. Collectively, we call the two groups, “Simply Scripture,” because we “simply” pick a book of Holy Scripture and take it on, verse by verse. Over our almost four-year time span, we’ve commented about how a number of Biblical themes keep repeating. Perhaps our favorites…

“Let there be light. And so light appeared” [Genesis 1:3, CEB]. Our earliest scriptures teach us that when God began God’s creative processes, there was an initial need to dispel darkness. Therefore, as God’s first command in crafting the cosmos, Elohim said, “Let there be light. And so light appeared” [Genesis 1:3, CEB]. The darkness was not completely banished, of course. God allowed it to remain as part of the created order. “Elohim named the light Day and the darkness Night” [Genesis 1:5, CEB]. And so, from that primordial moment, there has been a duel of sorts between darkness and light. Other scriptures reveal to us, however, that it is…

“Come, see a man who told me everything I’ve ever done. Could this be the Messiah?” [John 4:29, New International Version] Once each decade, Oberammergau, a town in Germany’s Bavarian Alps, offers up its famous Passion Play, held in its Passion Play Theater. Since 1634, the town has put on the the drama depicting the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord. This year, 2020, the play will be in production daily from May 16 through October 4. A few years ago, a close friend, knowing that for a number of years I had traveled to the Frankfurt Book Fair in early October, asked me if I’d ever been to…