Scripture Reflection
Here I share the fruits of my personal reflection on the Word of God, whether I’m reading along with the lectionary readings for that week or exploring a particular book of the Bible. Enjoy the posts that appear below; you’ll find them with the most recent first. If you’re looking for something in particular, try typing a topic, book of the Bible, or other keyword into the search field at the bottom of the page. Topics I write about frequently include those listed below:
I’m not sure how it happened, but somewhere along the line, our constitutional right to “the pursuit of happiness” has come to mean, “if it feels good, do it!” and too bad for anyone else who gets hurt in the process. Lust is everybody’s favorite deadly sin. The fact that it’s called “deadly” makes it more delicious, somehow. Attempts at ...
The beginning of the end of my Grandmother's life came early one morning. I knew she had cancer; but to my young and hopeful mind she would survive. What signaled the change I do not know, but I woke to hushed whispers and frantic activity. A blood cot to the brain, they said. I loved my Grandma. She was a ...
A lady once tried to rationalize her out-of-control temper to her pastor. “It’s no big deal,” she said. “I blow up, and then it’s all over.” “So does a shotgun,” he replied, “and look at the damage it leaves behind!” Anger is a deadly sin because it leads to other sins. That’s why Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, ...
When I was nine, I stole a big, fat, sugary Boston cream pie from the refrigerator and ate the entire thing behind the trees in the backyard. It wasn’t mine to take. We didn’t have the open-frig, eat-when-you-want policy that children have today—and we never had desserts that looked like that. But even worse, I didn’t know my mother chose ...
If you're meditating on Psalm 38 with me this week, notice how well it fits someone struggling with envy: "thy arrows have sunk into me" (vs 2); "my wounds grow foul and fester" (vs 5); "Lord, all my longing is known to thee" (vs 9). Week 3: Psalm 38 — “From the sin of envy, O Lord, deliver me…” At ...
It's popular today to deny the concept of sin. There are only bad choices, mistakes to move on from, and other people to blame. Behind that dislike of calling things “sin” is outrage that God would pass judgment on me and my actions. How dare he! To that person, God is a tyrant. What a different picture we get from ...
“Greed is a fat demon with a small mouth and whatever you feed it is never enough," wrote the Dutch crime novelist Janwillem van de Wetering. This week I'm looking at the sin of greed, making it the basis of an examination of conscience and pairing it with the second penitential psalm in my lenten reflections. Week 2: Psalm 32 ...
When I set out to read the penitential psalms this Lent, I expected them to draw me into dust and ashes, into mourning for my sins. I still think that - but what a surprise to read the second one, Psalm 32, and find myself lifted into joy! Here, then, is the reason for this penitential season: "Blessed is he ...
It seems every time I go on the computer, I’m offered another quiz: “I’m Miss Piggy! What Muppet are You?” Today I was surprised to see, “My sin is envy! What’s killing you?” The post went on to say that countless souls have been damned for succumbing to one sin or another – and offered to tell me which of the ...
