Nicodemus + Joseph of Arimathea: Models of grief

the following homily was offered to the community of st. luke’s episcopal church in seattle on Good Friday: “after these things,” john writes, summing up everything that has just happened before moving to Jesus’ burial. “After these things,” which is as swift of a transition as any you’ll find. at the end of John’s lengthy […]

distorted disciples: peter—a do-over, of sorts

disciples have stories.

they are not neat, nor are they simple.

they express doubt. they make sweeping demands about what they need before committing themselves to something or someone. they have what may be described in polite company as “complicated” histories. and they are willing, even, to sellout their friends for their own gain.

which is to say they are not floating off the ground. they are of the earth, just like you, just like me.

birth narratives

the gospels were not the earliest accounts of what God was doing in and through the life of Jesus, of course—paul’s letters to the early church had already been penned and shared by then. but it was eventually decided that a written account of Jesus’s life and, more than that, His ministry, should be captured. […]

“Here comes the sun…”

living in the pacific northwest can be so incredibly wonderful at times (skimming across a snow covered mountain in the winter, and enjoying the ‘just right’ warmth of summer), but it can also be quite painful at other times. the fall sometimes seems to stretch on, and on, and on. leaving us to wonder if […]