For Good Friday, I invite you to listen to this recording of my colleague and Beeson classmate Steve Dunmire singing Pierce Pettis and Jonell Mosser's beautiful song, "You Did That for Me." Steve recorded this on Good Friday morning in his office. I hope that it blesses you at the end of this important day. …
Good Friday – “You Did That For Me” – Day 38 of Lent Continue Reading »
Tonight, Christians around the world will gather around a table to remember Jesus' Last Supper with his disciples. Whether it's in a local church in Park City, a cathedral in England, an open air church in Africa, or an underground house church in North Korea, and regardless of the native language of those gathered at …
Every year at this time, you can guarantee it, there's some kind of controversial article or book that's published about some aspect of the Jesus story that will ostensibly shock or shake the long-held assumptions of Christian faith. We've had the DaVinci Code, the Talpiot tomb, the counterfeit Shroud of Turin, The Gospel of Judas, …
As I was preparing for Holy Week services yesterday I came across some audio from a recent lecture by Bishop N.T. Wright on the passion narratives in Luke's Gospel, which I found to be both helpful and profound. Wright is Bishop of Durham in the Church of England, and one of the most prolific and …
The Passion of Jesus in Luke – Day 36 of Lent Continue Reading »
One of the connections between Judaism and Christianity is the symbolism and celebration of freedom represented by the Passover meal for Jews and the eucharist for Christians. On Thursday night, Christians will celebrate Maundy Thursday ("Maundy" comes from the Latin phrase "Maundatum Novum" which means "new commandment"–a reflection of Jesus' Last Supper command in John …
I turn my space for today's meditation over to Bishop Will Willimon, whose article in the latest Christian Century really struck me as being very poignant during these troubled times of disasters, economic, natural, and otherwise. It's all about how we are to see suffering through the lens of Easter joy. Check it out here. …
We had a great discussion again last night in our "Common Ground" series of dialogues between myself and Rabbi Josh Aaronson of Temple Har Shalom. Last night's topic was the "afterlife" and how our traditions view it. I think I stunned some of the crowd when I suggested that the Christian hope, biblically speaking, is …
Saw an article in the paper this morning about researchers who have been looking at paintings of the Last Supper over the last thousand years and have noticed that the portions of the food depicted on the table have become bigger with every generation. Apparently, artists over the last thousand years have been painting food …
Reading: Luke 19:1-10 Came across a blog post this morning by a Canadian college student named Brendan Pickering, who was musing on the idea that of all the classes he has taken, the one that was most impactful on him was an introductory theater course. Says Pickering: "Every day we spent at least 15 minutes …
Reading: Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4 One of my favorite "wonders of the world" is the Gettysburg Cyclorama, which recently moved into its new home in the new visitor center at Gettysburg National Military Park. Ever since I was a little guy, I have loved going to the battlefield and ending the day by looking at this …
The Cycloramic Vision of God – Day 29 of Lent Continue Reading »
Forgive me a little personal reflection today for the Lenten post… Finally got to the blog after a very full day here in Colorado. Worked out with a friend this morning at the YMCA here in Monument, then met our real estate agent to make an offer on a home she showed me yesterday. Still …
The Salt Lake Tribune featured a front page article yesterday morning about the death of Brother Felix, one of the founding members of the Abbey of the Holy Trinity in Huntsville, UT. Holy Trinity is a Trappist monastery in the Benedictine tradition and was founded in the late 1940s as the parent monastery, The Abbey …
Today is St. Patrick’s Day and most people, whether they are of Irish descent or not, will don some green, maybe drink a few green beers, wear shamrock pins, maybe even wear something that says, curiously, “Kiss me, I’m Irish” (is there something I missed about the Irish being more kissable?). Parades will march, pipes …
The Legacy of St. Patrick – Day 25 of Lent Continue Reading »
Reading: Genesis 1:26-27 One of my favorite parts of every day here at the church is when the preschoolers arrive for school. They come bouncing in the front door with oversized backpacks and big smiles as they head downstairs with parents in tow to begin another day of learning and fun. They're usually arriving about …
"People often quote Oscar Wilde's dictum that a cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. We live in an age of cynics where 'worth' means 'price' and 'price' means money and money means power. But the gospel of Jesus Christ put worth back into the world, worth beyond price, worth beyond …