The Riverside Gathering Posts

Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image to resemble us ….” So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” [Genesis 1:26-27, NRSV, emphasis added]. For the swath of Christians who follow the church’s (rather than “Caesar’s”) calendar, this Sunday — the first following Pentecost — is designated as Trinity Sunday. Appointing an OT reading for this week is a bit of a challenge for the Lectionary. How does one choose an OT passage for a church doctrine that would not officially manifest itself until 325 A.D.? Indeed, the word “Trinity,” first used in its…

When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” [John 20:22-23; a portion of the Gospel lesson appointed for Pentecost Sunday (RCL, Year A)]. As I mentioned six weeks ago in an earlier post [April 15, 2020, “Hiding in the Safe Room,”], the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Easter is the same for all three years of the Lectionary cycle. It’s John’s familiar story of the “disciples” cowering behind locked doors on the evening of that first Easter Sunday…

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed [1 Peter 4:12-13].   Earlier this week, a friend and I were exchanging some rather light-hearted theological banter (observing safe-distancing, of course; we communicated via e-mail), when suddenly, the friend’s “tone” became quite serious. He wrote, I was reading ahead among the scriptures appointed for this upcoming Sunday, and I saw references in First Peter to suffering, to the…

“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…