1 Samuel 1:4-20; Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25; Mark 13:1-8 Ordinary 33B Proper 28 Occasionally, when the Outlook staff emails one another we begin with “Today’s sign of the End Times,” and follow it with an unexpected and strange request, response or article. This churchy humor helps us weather the ups and downs of being on the receiving end of many public comments and frequent scrutiny, some of it kind, some of it not so kind, some of it down right odd. But when I come to chapter 13 of Mark’s Gospel, I realize that our “signs of the End Times” are not Jesus’ signs of the End Times. Jesus’ signs do not call forth eye rolls, laughter, a chuckle or stress relief. Jesus’ talk of the End Times arrests us and causes us to question expectations and events roiling all around us. Jesus tells his disciples who marvel at the beautiful, imposing Temple (that same Temple and scribal system he has been railing against) that even an institution and edifice that big and that … [Read more...]
-
Looking into the lectionary 9 hours ago
26th Sunday after Pentecost — November 18, 2018
1 Samuel 1:4-20; Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25; Mark 13:1-8 Ordinary 33B Proper 28 Occasionally, when the Outlook staff emails one another we begin with “Today’s sign of the End Times,” and follow it with an unexpected and strange request, response or article. Jill Duffield’s lectionary reflections are sent to the Outlook’s email list every Monday. This churchy humor helps us weather the ups and downs of being on the receiving end of many public comments and frequent scrutiny, some of it kind, some of it not so kind, some of it… continue reading... -
Those with ears to hear (music reviews) 9 hours ago
After the Longest Night (album & songbook)
Steve Thorngate Reviewed by Luke Hyder After the Longest Night (album & songbook) by Steve Thorngate Advent can be a season of awkward juxtapositions. We begin a new church year just as the calendar year is coming to a close. We celebrate the coming of the Light of the World just as the nights have become their darkest. We worship in longing and hopeful preparation for One who has already come, and yet who is still to come. Finding balance between the conflicting themes of Advent can be a difficult… continue reading... -
Editor's viewpoints 1 day ago
Prayer for the victims of the California fires
Smoke in the California skies. Photos by torbakhopper, CC 2.0 Devastation. Displacement. Death. Lord, the images from California capture only a fraction of the suffering and pain consuming your people who seek missing loved ones, wait to return to non-existent homes and worry about what comes next week, next month, next year. Hearing the voices of public officials and fire fighters, citizens and local politicians, all trying to remain hopeful, helpful and calm, we know they are fearful, frayed and exhausted. We ask, Holy Comforter, that you envelop them with… continue reading...
Parties in Stamford case had tried to expedite process in order to get a ruling on the merits of the case January 1, 1995 Uncategorized79 views The General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission -- in sidestepping the question of exactly how deeply a session should be required to probe into the private life of a gay elder who has acknowledged being in a committed, life-long relationship but has declined to say whether he is sexually active -- has put the question off but has not put it to rest.- Ministering with the Earth January 1, 1998 Book Reviews66 views By Mary Elizabeth MooreChalice. 1998. 226 pp. Pb. $19.99. ISBN 0-8272-2323-4 Ministering with the Earth is a quiltwork, both the on-the-ground activity and Moore's book about so ministering. Moore, professor of theology and Christian education at Claremont School of Theology, is fond of the metaphor, suitably pastoral and feminist.
- Remembered Voice: Reclaiming the Legacy of 'Neo-Orthodoxy' January 1, 1998 Book Reviews78 views By Douglas John HallWJKP. 1998. 145 pp. Pb. $18. ISBN 0-664-25772-0 It was in this order. I first read Tillich's Dynamics of Faith. Riveting. Next came The Courage to Be. Gripping. Then I went back and read the first volume of the Systematic Theology. Things began to make sense. Next came Biblical Religion and the Search for Ultimate Reality. Positive.
- The smaller church (40 years ago) November 9, 2018 From the Archives2 comments 40 years ago — November 6, 1978
As almost every Presbyterian knows, our denomination is made up predominantly of smaller congregations. Without them, we would be vastly poorer not only in spirit, but also in size. … There are possibilities inherent in a small church situation that are very difficult to come by in a large congregation: opportunities for small-group closeness … strong personal ties between pastor and people … and … less of the “red tape” … . Many in our ranks seem to be rediscovering the biblical truth that “bigness” is not necessarily “best”; and thus they are starting to see that smalle...
A look inside the courtroom: 45 men and women who entered the U.S. illegally appear before a judge in Texas November 2, 2018 Outlook Reporting1 comment BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS – They swam, they rafted, they waded, they walked through the desert. They got caught.
That’s the short, surface version of the stories of these 45 Central American immigrants. Their cases were all heard on the same morning this fall before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald G. Morgan in a federal courtroom in Brownsville, Texas. This is a story of process, not of the histories and hopes and dreams of these people – 38 men and 7 women – or the economic and political forces that drove them north, or the fierce political debate in the United States over what immigration policy is and ought to be.
...
Bus station compassion: volunteers help asylum-seekers get to the next place on their long journey to safety November 6, 2018 Outlook Reporting1 comment MCALLEN, TEXAS – What happens when the caravan gets here remains to be seen, but a recent fall day at a bus station near the border demonstrated more the resilience and determination of asylum-seekers and humanitarian volunteers – sort of new best-friends in crisis – than any glimpse of a well-designed federal system.
On two days that week, immigration officials dropped off roughly 500 asylum-seekers per day, nearly all of them families with children, at the bus station in McAllen, Texas. There was no advance notice of the big n...
26th Sunday after Pentecost — November 18, 2018
After the Longest Night (album & songbook)
Steve Thorngate Reviewed by Luke Hyder After the Longest Night (album & songbook) by Steve Thorngate Advent can be a season of awkward juxtapositions. We begin a new church year just as the calendar year is coming to a close. We celebrate the coming of the Light of the World just as the nights have become their darkest. We worship in longing and hopeful preparation for One who has already come, and yet who is still to come. Finding balance between the conflicting themes of Advent can be a difficult task, especially when planning worship services and choosing songs for our congregations to sing. Steve Thorngate, in his newly released project of songs for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, “After the Longest Night,” has struck that balance beautifully, giving the church a collection of songs, hymns and canticles that can be sung throughout this season and across many types of churches. The album and accompanying digital songbook provide an attractive and accessible mix of original … [Read more...]
Princeton seminary report examines its historical connection to slavery
(PNS) Work on the Princeton Seminary and Slavery report began in the spring of 2016. The Rev. Dr. M. Craig Barnes was in his third year as president — and wanted to make more progress in seminary conversations on race. “Some thought race was an optional concern, for people of color,” Barnes said. “Others didn’t want the conversations to be too binary” — expressing concern for Latino and Asian American students. With racial tension rising in the country, Barnes felt it was critical for Princeton seminary, a residential campus where 40 percent of its 450 students are nonwhite, to deal with its story of race. So he commissioned a committee of faculty and administrators to examine Princeton’s historic connections to slavery. For more than two years the committee met regularly. When its 115-page research report was released in October, the committee had examined: The relationship of the seminary’s founders to slavery Construction and finance of the facilities … [Read more...]
Lutheran comfort dogs bring compassion, care during disasters
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (RNS) — Early on the morning of Nov. 8, Bonnie Fear awoke at her home in Colorado to a two-word text message from Rich Martin, director of K-9 Ministries for Lutheran Church Charities in Chicago. “Call me.” Something terrible had happened, and Fear knew she was about to be deployed to wherever it was. In no time, Fear was on a plane headed to Los Angeles, along with Cubby, the 4-year-old golden retriever she handles for the Lutheran Comfort Dog Ministry, and their ministry partner Carol Salander. Hours earlier, a mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill in suburban Thousand Oaks had claimed the lives of a dozen people, including students from California Lutheran and Pepperdine universities. Cubby and her handlers are part of the Lutheran Comfort Dog Ministry run by Lutheran Church Charities of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. The ministry has more than 130 specially trained golden retrievers in 20 states, most of them owned and cared for by … [Read more...]
Seminaries partner with prisons to offer inmates new life as ministers
NASHVILLE, N.C. (RNS) — Inside a squat cinderblock building on the grounds of Nash Correctional Institution, 24 inmates are hunched over white plastic tables listening to Professor James Dew explain how God is omnipotent and omniscient. More than half of the men listening are serving life sentences for murder, armed robbery and other offenses. The rest have at least 12 years left to serve. But Dew is not preaching to his audience as he paces the room posing questions about whether God can sin (No) or know people’s emotions (there’s disagreement, but most Christians say yes). He is teaching theology to prospective ministers. The prisoners jotting notes, calling up documents on closed-circuit laptops or asking Dew questions of their own are earning four-year bachelor’s degrees in pastoral ministry from the College at Southeastern, the undergraduate school of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in nearby Wake Forest. Dew’s class is part of a new niche in prison … [Read more...]
Prayer for the victims of the California fires
Devastation. Displacement. Death. Lord, the images from California capture only a fraction of the suffering and pain consuming your people who seek missing loved ones, wait to return to non-existent homes and worry about what comes next week, next month, next year. Hearing the voices of public officials and fire fighters, citizens and local politicians, all trying to remain hopeful, helpful and calm, we know they are fearful, frayed and exhausted. We ask, Holy Comforter, that you envelop them with courage and strengthen them for the work ahead. We pray that the fire of the Holy Spirit will replace the flames of grief with those of stamina, power and peace. We trust, God, that your breath of mercy, grace and rebirth will blow among the winds that spread destruction and bring relief and the assurance of your good and promised future. Knowing that the earth and all that is in it belongs to you, Lord of All, we commit to caring for creation, every person, every creature, in ways that … [Read more...]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 2532
- Next Page »
Tweet With Us
Be A Facebook Fan
Our World in Photos
Pin With Us