The authority and teaching of the Anglican community – us as Episcopalians, in particular – rests on three things: Scripture, Tradition, and Reason. Sometimes this is called the three-legged stool. Scripture, of course, is obvious. Reason reminds us that God gives us intellect and comprehension so that we can invite the Holy Spirit to help us discern the meaning of what we read.
Read MoreTheology matters because our theology describes how we understand God, how we expect God to show up in our lives, how we live as Christians in this time and place, and how we read Scripture. Our theology can place limits on the love and grace that we receive from God IF we do not believe that God’s love and mercy is endless and all encompassing.
Read MoreProphecies of doom and destruction against those who do not worship God and follow God’s laws are frequent and harsh. St. Paul writes in the Epistles that we should not let even the appearance of evil show up in our actions. St. Paul also cautions us against any activity that might cause another person to turn away from Jesus.
Read MoreJames was talking to a group of us over dinner and when heaven was mentioned, he looked at his beloved wife and said: Marilyn is in the choir. She knows nothing about heaven because she leaves class 15 minutes early every Sunday. We all laughed knowing that heaven is often the destination of a lesson, not the main event. Today it is the main event.
Read MoreA few weeks ago, Kent and I ran away from home. We drove to the rural hinterlands of North Carolina pursuing adventure and a new setting. It was interesting to be out in farmland – acres of corn, beautifully green, ears beginning to mature. It was easy to forget that we were running from isolation and fear – until we got out of the car and had to put on a face mask.
Read MoreJesus tells the parable about the farmer finding four types of soil: the hard-packed dirt of the walking path, the rocky shallow soil, the soil overgrown with weeds and sandspurs, and the good rich soil ready for seeds. No matter where we have lived, it is not hard to imagine any one of those soil types. Let us think about these as descriptions of our hearts and minds.
Read MoreThe Concern of Scripture is always our relationship with God through Jesus Christ and our relationships with each other before God. Obedience and disobedience, sin and repentance, redemption and punishment – all of these are descriptions of healthy and un-healthy ways to relate to God and others. We pull out certain verses to support our concepts, our understanding of relationships as a way of describing the kinds of relationships we want.
Read MoreSt. Matthew tells of Jesus sending the 12 Apostles out on their first mission trip, not because they have learned everything they need to know, but because Jesus looks at the crowds around Him and feels their pain and their need. Jesus is clear in the instructions that He gives: Do not go to the Gentiles and stay out of Samaria. Go only to your fellow Jews.
Read More
