At my wife’s urging, I joined a choral ensemble. I did not join because I have any singing talent—quite the opposite. I joined because I thought I might be able to improve myself without being too big of an anchor tied around the necks of the other choir members. Or at least my wife thought so. I was not convinced …
When people talk about ecumenism, it usually refers to something church leaders do. But our congregation’s summer morning of ecumenism had more to do with the ordinary—the everyday—not an annual gathering. It was, literally, about grass and about roots …
It was a spectacular display. Fireworks and the sound of a violent wind took the people by surprise and turned a typical celebration into an unforgettable event. Today we are still drawn to those amazing signs of Pentecost, and reenact them in our worship …
Let me awaken with fresh resolve to face the day with courage and purpose, determined to maximize the 60 minutes that comprise each hour of the day. Let me not shrink from intense, purposeful labor, defer the exacting task or rob my employer of an honest day’s toil …
Do the terms “Mennonite peace church” and “army ammunition plant” belong in the same sentence? The congregation was Madison (Wis.) Mennonite Church. The facility was the Badger Army Ammunition Plant, which provided powder and propellant for the rifles, machine guns, artillery and helicopter rockets of three international wars but was now considered surplus property by the government …
Did Jesus practice violence? The fact that some people think he did illustrates our difficulties in defining and visualizing violence. It may be a case like the Supreme Court Justice who famously said about pornography: It is difficult to define but “I know it when I see it.” Unfortunately, we do not all see the same thing …
Years ago I saw a poster with the following words: “For every difficult social problem, there is a simple answer … and it’s wrong!” I decided it was true: There are no simple, one-size-fits-all answers to difficult social problems …
Suburbia: depending on your perspective, it’s the home of those who’ve arrived or those who’ve sold out. Alternately sacralized (think Leave it to Beaver) and satirized (think The Truman Show), suburbia still holds mythic sway in the imaginations of many Americans …
Karl Barth, one of the great theologians of the past century, famously said that when we read the Bible we should hold the daily newspaper in our other hand. He was making the point that the ancient Scriptures are a tool for interpreting modern life. The old text is the key to understanding the events happening all around us in our community and the world, and these events in turn are the context in which we read and interpret Scripture …
Every fall we put a fence around our raspberry patch to keep the rabbits from feasting on too many thorny berry branches. If we want fruit next year, a keep-out is fence essential. Down the road is a keep-in fence. It keeps our neighbors sheep in and away from the crazy drivers on our road …
Every year Mother’s Day provides an opportunity to hear tributes to mothers and many suggestions for gifts. It also provides an opportunity to think about Mary, Jesus’ mother, and ponder what her life was like. What did she experience as a woman, a wife, a mother? What can we learn from her and her faith? …
