The eyes and ears — along with the hearts and minds — of the whole world have been focussed on the trial of George Floyd until the jury’s verdict was finally rendered on Monday, and we could all breathe a sigh of relief that some sort of dramatic change was in the air at last. When the truth of what happened was captured on a video by a young bystander, all other arguments to the contrary not withstanding were emptied of any meaning. In horror and dismay we all watched the white knee on the black neck and heard the […]
Discerners or Doers?
Every now and then a certain word will crop up in ecclesiastical jargon that will outdo its usefulness and should be retired. I recall in the 90’s when church leaders were seeking the “cutting edge” of anything that might have enough hutzpah to coax a few new members into the fold. I was sitting next to an elderly friend at a Synod meeting where “cutting edge” was the clarion call for whatever when my friend nudged me and whispered “the cutting edge for the church should be gerontology.” After a few years of overuse, the cutting edge syndrome became excruciatingly […]
The Miracle of Easter Egg Leftovers
Back in olden days, the Easter bunny didn’t know how to lay plastic eggs. She [assumed pronoun] produced the hard-boiled, dyed, and colorful real things to hide in obscure places for kids to find on the annual “hunt”. Those adventurous searches for Easter eggs were quite daunting at times. When the game ended, the winner had the most eggs in her or his baskets. A few eggs were never found for many days, maybe even weeks. By then, however, they were easy to locate because of the stench that led you to find these Easter leftovers. Even before the putrid […]
The Grace of Easter’s Enigma
Years ago, when I was her minister, the mother of a four‑year‑old confronted me with a profound question. While she and her son were dragging out the plastic eggs and stuffed bunnies in preparation for the upcoming Easter festivities, she realized that somehow this was a cultural trick and treat game for the spring. You sort of trick the kids into believing in miracles [rabbits laying eggs] and treat them with candy and new clothes. She suddenly felt a compulsion to teach her son about the true meaning of Easter. But she was stumped. How do you explain the enigma […]