How far must you go to give a drink of water to the poor? Calcutta? Across town? Next door?
5 Merciful
“The Miracles at Hand”: Buechner on the Good Samaritan
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy (Matthew 5:7). In his sermon, "The Miracles at Hand" (The Magnificent Defeat, pp.136-144), Frederick Buechner offers a compassionate reading of Jesus' greatest parable on compassion, "The Good Samaritan" (Luke...
The Right Use of Freedom
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery....For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one...
Jesus Versus Belief In a Just World
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy (Matthew 5:7). Psychology of Victim-Blaming and Belief in a Just World In the 1960s, a young psychologist-in-training named Melvin Lerner noticed that many who worked with him to help psychiatric patients tended to...
Joseph’s Forgiveness After the Long Loneliness
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.... Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:7, 9). As colorful as his famous coat, Joseph’s story keeps us on the edge of our seats like none other in scripture. The long...
When Forgiveness Is Hard
Hope in the struggle to forgive
“All Will Be Well”: Julian’s Witness for Times Like Ours
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy....Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:7, 9) In the late 14th and early 15th centuries, the first recorded pandemic -- the bubonic or “Black” plague -- killed about half...
Jesus and the Rich Man Meet at a Fork In the Road
Blessed are the merciful, for the will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Matthew 5:7-8). The following is the text of a sermon delivered at North Broad Baptist Church in Rome, Georgia on October 10, 2021 Sermon Text: Mark 10:17-31...
When I See Your Face
When I see your face, whether on earth or in heaven, I want to look into your eyes and see the face of God.
Crisis Telephone Contemplation
As a boy, I was called by Christ. Literally.
Mercy on the Bloody Pass
That’s how I worship the only God I care to worship, the one who wants mercy on the Bloody Pass.
Jonah and Our Hard Political Hearts
Of course, you’re glad God loves you. But how merciful do you really want God to be?