In the season after Epiphany, the identity of Jesus “shines forth” from the selected readings; this identity that reveals to us our other way home. Our way home to a new life that we promise to live in our baptism—ceasing one way of being and committing to another.  But truth be told, the interpretation of this other way of being—how to live out our Christian faith—varies. Not just denominationally, but there are versions going by the name of Christianity that are completely foreign to the...

Resurrection and rebellion. These are the two words I want to pull from today’s readings. These two words belong together: resurrection and rebellion. You see the Sadducees who were aristocratic Jewish leaders connected to the priesthood and who thought all beliefs must be found in the Torah so they didn’t believe in Resurrection, the Sadducees are out to trip up Jesus. They don’t like him. Neither do the Pharisees who do believe  in the resurrection so the Pharisees don’t always get along...

Julian of Norwich, during an existential time of world history, the Black Plague, wrote the well-known prayer: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”  What is it that Julian had or knew that allowed her to not only pray these words, but believe these words? I think this week’s readings have at least part of an answer to that question. Last week we talked about how Jesus chose to walk in the borderlands—those spaces of conflict and tension, division...