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Gift Economy
There is some evidence the U.S. Empire is like, or perhaps worse than, the man in Sunday’s Gospel. The man, out of fear, puts the gifts he has been given to no good use; he “went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried” the gifts. So too, the U.S. receiving the…
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Sacred and Profane
Jesus cleanses the Temple in today’s Gospel reading. The Temple represents a division instituted by religion, specifically the division between Divinity and the natural world. Gods were once believed synonymous with the forces of nature. Those forces could be deadly and were feared. So too the gods assigned to the forces were deadly and…
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Eternal Life and Love
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is surrounded by rulers who cause people’s suffering and death. The rulers struggle to love people. They may show temporary love while at the same time they usually threaten people with eternal damnation. Jesus tells those same people, “I will not reject anyone.” Jesus consistently shows eternal love and encourages…
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The Risk of Love
Love is a great risk. Love renders us vulnerable. Yet, the risk of love gives our lives meaning. So we risk love; with family again and again. We risk love again and again with friends and with neighbors we meet here and there in the course of our day. Sometimes, we take the risk…
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Speaking Truth to Privilege
Jesus’ parables, in addition to being enjoyable and thought provoking, are a means to speak truth to privilege. This Sunday’s parable is one example. It is a long parable that tells a story about invited guests who reject a meal and kill servant messengers. It is basically an account of the destructive history of…
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Gift of Creation
Jesus tells a parable this Sunday about the Community of God. He describes it metaphorically as a vineyard. The vines and their fruit, like all of creation, are given to us as a gift. If we receive the earth’s many gifts and care for them, the earth will continue to be a source of…
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Easy Choices
Jesus’ parable this Sunday seems to present most modern readers with an easy choice. Is it better to say “No” to a father’s public request but then do as he asked? Or is it better to say “Yes” but then not actually fulfill the request. Modern readers would likely say doing what was asked…
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People Getting What They Deserve
Someone getting what they deserve has an ominous tone to it. While it could indicate someone being rewarded, the sound of it feels more like someone is suffering as payback. People getting what they deserve signifies an exacting judgment. Jesus’ parable this Sunday is about a landowner who does not make exacting judgments. He…
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Exaltation of Weapons
Some distortions are so bizarre it is difficult to understand their existence. This Sunday’s feast day of the Exaltation of the Cross is one such bizarre distortion. Would Christians consider celebrating a feast day named The Extolling of the Electric Chair or The Acclaim of the AK 47? Would Christians wear one of those…