"Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt." (Matthew 2.14) In my Grandma’s old and worn prayer book, the edges tattered and soiled from her fingers turning the pages, she inserted special prayers that she liked, the prayer book ending up being twice its original size, with holy… Continue reading In Praise of the Unholy Family

“When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.” (Matthew 1.24) Back in the day, I usually ended up playing Joseph in the school Christmas programs. As I recall, getting the part of Joseph didn’t cause the same buzz for us boys as… Continue reading The Second Disciple

“Go and tell John what you hear and see.” (Matthew 11.4) Years back, wanting to draw the distinction between words and actions, a writer offered this example. He explained how a person could tell his friend all day long about how his grandma’s recipe for cookies was so great. But, as the writer said, until… Continue reading “Love is Action, Jack”

“John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea, and saying, ‘Repent,’ for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3.1) Prophets don’t have a wide circle of friends. There are good reasons for it. They never know when to shut up. That alienates people. They’re never satisfied with things as they are.… Continue reading Rants From the Jordan

“For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” (Matthew 24.42) A “Dennis the Menace” comic from years back shows Dennis sitting on Santa’s lap. Other kids are waiting their turn, while Dennis’ mother is on the side, surely wondering what he is about to say to Santa, since she knows better… Continue reading Stop and Think

“If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” (Luke 23.37) As he waited for his wife to come out of the office where she worked, his eagerness to call it a day apparent in his face, the not-old, but not-young man used the minutes to wipe off the water from his new black… Continue reading The Opposite of Saving Yourself

“When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.” (Luke 21.9) In 1979, the respected movie director, Francis Ford Coppola, released an epic film starring some of the biggest names in Hollywood, such as Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, and… Continue reading Apocalypse Now — Not the Movie

“They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise.” (Luke 20.36) I once knew a woman who had seven ex-husbands. Also, a current one. Not only did she have all those men in her life, she had a good… Continue reading Seven Husbands

"Zacchaeus . . . a tax-collector. . . was seeking to see who Jesus was, but he could not see him because of the crowd." (Luke 19.2-3) One day a mom heard her eight-year-old daughter Grace whispering, although no one was nearby. Her mom asked Grace just what she was doing. The little girl answered,… Continue reading Hide and Go Seek

"The tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'" (Luke 18.13) A common exercise that was used for many years to build self-esteem in elementary age students was to have each student make… Continue reading “A Wretch Like Me”