God-Smacked
Dan Schrock
During my first year at Chicago Theological Seminary, I lived in one of the seminary’s dormitories. One afternoon at 5:00 I left my dorm room and walked down to the dormitory kitchen, located in the basement. This kitchen served all the students who lived in that dorm. We each had our own cupboard and cooked […]
Friendship and Intimacy
Marilyn Rudy-Froese
In February 1944, when she was 13 years old, Anne Frank, a Jew who was in hiding in Amsterdam, wrote: Today the sun is shining, the sky is a deep blue, there is a lovely breeze and I am longing–so longing–for everything. To talk, for freedom, for friends, to be alone. And I do so […]
The Prayer God Wants
Dan Schrock
I continue to be a Christian partly because Jesus is such a keen observer of the human heart. Even after more than 40 years of trying to follow Jesus, I continue to learn from Jesus insights into myself and others that I probably wouldn’t get anywhere else. He and the Bible offer a vast storehouse […]
Prayer, Justice and Persistent Hope
Marilyn Rudy-Froese
When she learned of the death threats against her, Malala Yousafzai thought about how she would respond if a Talib came to kill her. She first thought she would hit him with her shoe, but then she thought, “If you hit a Talib, then there would be no difference between you and the Talib. You […]
The Gifts of Lament
Dan Schrock
One evening, you and your spouse are caravanning back home from a soccer game. You and your spouse are driving separate vehicles because each of you went to the soccer game right after work. During the trip home after the game, your spouse is up ahead while you follow in the rear. As your spouse […]
A Generous God Whose Love Knows No Limits
Marilyn Rudy-Froese
This parable is known by a couple of titles: The Dishonest Steward, and The Shrewd Manager. The commentaries are consistent on one point about this parable: that it is the most difficult one that Jesus told! After that, they go off in a variety of directions and interpretations. And who can blame them, for Luke […]
Rubbish
Dan Schrock
During Lent we’ve been playing with the theme of honor and shame in various biblical passages. Our purpose has been to explore how God honors us, especially through the person of Christ; and how we in turn give honor to God. The text in front of us this morning is an eye‐popping passage. Paul plays […]
A Kiss of Peace
Dan Schrock
We already know what this parable means, right? We say this parable is about a foolish son who grabs his inheritance early, then wastes the money on prostitutes and other stupid expenses. The “prodigal” son, we call him, even though that word prodigal is not in Luke’s text. “Prodigal” because he’s wasteful and extravagant, because […]
Ashamed No More: Invitation, Challenge and Grace
Marilyn Rudy-Froese
Stories of war, disaster, tragedy fill our newspapers and news channels. Innocent people dying from drone attacks, school shootings, and suicide bombers. Intentional acts of violence targeting innocent and not‐soinnocent people alike. It is disheartening to listen to the news or read the newspaper. And yet, there’s also a part of human nature that wants […]
Humiliation to Glory
Dan Schrock
In this part of Philippians, Paul says Jesus Christ is a “Savior.” We and other Christians in the world often say Jesus is our Savior. It’s one of our favorite ways of talking about Jesus. “Jesus saved me from my sins,” we might say, “and he can save you from your sins too.” Through his […]
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