Double Vision Scripture is filled with images of triumph and joy as well as images of heartache and lament. The world and humanity are portrayed sometimes as beautiful and holy, and other times they are portrayed as awful and nearly hopeless. Which of these ways of seeing is true? Perhaps our faith calls us to a kind of double vision…
POV The parable of the forgiving father (usually called the ‘Prodigal Son’) is a lesson in God’s gracious forgiveness and reconciliation. We know that story – the son who runs away and slinks back home, destitute, and the father who runs to greet him an restore him to the family. But the story ends with another character – the brother…
Could & Should The prophet Isaiah reminds the people of Israel what can and will be – that God is moving to bring the fullness of life to the people. Jesus uses a strange illustration about a fig tree to remind his disciples of God’s sustaining grace. And in the midst of trials and tribulations, we are reminded that it…
Jerusalem, Jerusalem & Us To whom do we belong? What holds our allegiance? Jesus laments over Jerusalem, and yearns for the day when we let go of our fight against love and the prophets of God. We, too, lament the rage and spite that fills our world, and too often fills our own hearts. But there is hope – our…
Turning It Around As we begin this season of Lent, we hear the story of Jesus’ temptation, and in that story we might hear the story of our own temptations. Unlike Jesus, we often are swayed and give in – not to turn stones to bread, or lead the kingdoms of the world, or leap off the Temple spire, but…
Who You Truly Are The strange story of Jesus’ transfiguration might best be understood as a revelation – Jesus is not transformed into something new, but is revealed in the fullness of his divinity. The revelation of Jesus’ nature also points us to an understanding of what spiritual growth is – a revelation of who we truly are. Read Luke…
To Love, to Resist Jesus tells us to love our enemies. But does that mean to sit passively as they do harm to us and our neighbors? Or is Jesus inviting us to see a new way of living with our opponents? How are Christians called to confront the wrongs of this world with love? Read Luke 6:27-38 and Genesis 45:3-11,…
Hooray! (Oh…uh oh.) Hooray! (Oh… uh oh.) We love the blessings of God! And we love the stories of God raising up the outcast, and casting down the haughty. But what happens when we’re on the wrong side of the upside down Kingdom? What happens when Jesus speaks woe to us instead of blessings? Is there mercy for the villains…
Here We Are, Lord When we think of ‘call stories’ we might think of individuals called by God to a particular purpose – the prophets of the Hebrews, people called to a religious vocation, or maybe a story of personal salvation. And indeed, there is an abundance of these stories. But we often miss the fact that every individual call…
“Love and Truth (Can Get You in Trouble)” We’ve been sold a false notion of love – that love is about happy feelings and is reserved for a few special someones. But love is a divine gift, and its fullness and depth are transformative. But, of course, human beings resist transformation. We know that to be true in our own…
The Body of Christ We, the Church, are the Body of Christ – gifted for the Gospel work of proclaiming God’s love. Sometimes we know what our gifts are and can claim them, and sometimes our work as the Church is to see and lift up one another’s gifts. Join us as Rev. Brett Pinder, the Oregon-Idaho Conference Strategist for…
For the Common Good You’ve probably heard the passage from 1 Corinthians that highlights the variety of gifts among God’s people. You’ve maybe been part of a class or taken a quiz to discover which spiritual gift(s) you have. Buried in the middle of this passage is an important phrase that we might overlook – and it gives us the…