Temples of the Spirit
Dan Schrock
Many of us in the modern world regard marriage as something of a capstone in human experience. The ideal, we think, is to marry, have children, buy a home, and live the good life. The fact that so many gay and lesbian couples want to marry shows how much marriage is idealized in our culture. […]
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall….Reflecting God’s Image
Marilyn Rudy-Froese
I love the bodies of babies and young children. It amazes me how they enter the world with everything they need in order to survive‐‐healthy lungs that breathe and support their strong voices, digestive systems that take in food and expel what is not needed. And yet, these bodies are vulnerable, weak‐‐most newborns can’t hold […]
Focusing Desire in Covenant
Dan Schrock
This morning I want to talk with you about desire—not as an evil force inside of us which we must repress, but as a gift from God to use for the sake of God’s mission in the world. You heard that right: desire is not an evil to avoid, but a good gift to use […]
Fear . . . and God
Dan Schrock
Each of us here this morning knows what it is to be afraid. I have a friend who has an unusual and chronic disease that’s notoriously difficult to treat. In a desperate search for better health, he has traveled to several cities to consult with specialists in big-name medical centers. One of these specialists finally […]
Bethlehem, not Jerusalem
Dan Schrock
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem. Have you ever thought about the significance of that fact? Bethlehem was a small village of just a few hundred souls. The folks who lived out in Bethlehem were mostly farmers and small‐time trades people. Life in Bethlehem was pretty simple and uncomplicated, where everyone knew everyone else […]
Outfoxing the King
Dan Schrock
With this story we have left behind what most people think of as Christmas. Gone are the cuddly sheep, the placid cows, the joyful angels, and the humble shepherds. In this story, joy and delight have given way to brutality and terror. For most North Americans, Christmas is over now except for a few lingering […]
Dreaming and Trusting with Joseph
Marilyn Rudy-Froese
Picture the conversation between Mary and Joseph. Mary says, “Joseph, we need to talk.” And Joseph might then be thinking, “Now what have I done?!” When she says, “I’m pregnant,” he knows that in fact, he hasn’t done anything, and in this case, that is the problem. Because if he isn’t the father, then who […]
Waiting at the door with Elizabeth and Mary
Allan Rudy-Froese
All of this happens in the doorway. Mary arrives at Elizabeth’s house ‐ the cousins exchange greetings. We could ask the same question of Mary that Mary asked of the angel some months ago. When the angel came to Mary she wondered what kind of greeting this might be. Now we get a strange greeting […]
Of Kings and Justice
Dan Schrock
The kings of Israel and Judah were such disappointments. Take Solomon, for example. He started out well enough early in his reign. Remember the time when as a newly crowned king he prayed to Yahweh for “an understanding mind to govern your people,” a mind “able to discern between good and evil” (1 Kings 3:3-14)? […]
Wash Yourselves
Dan Schrock
Ten years ago the state of Alabama almost took the Bible seriously. Almost. This remarkable story started in 2001 with a woman named Susan Pace Hamill. Ms. Hamill was (and still is) a professor at the University of Alabama Law School where she taught courses on tax law. In 2001 she was granted a sabbatical […]
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