How are you sleeping? I will confess to waking up with a bit stress. Maybe it is eleven murders at the Pittsburgh synagogue, two African Americans murdered in Louisville, or pipe bombs sent by a right wing terrorist. I am distressed that our nation, that once held up a hopeful light over Ellis Island saying […]
Author Archives: paulrpurdue
Jesus’ foremost commandment is to “love your neighbor as yourself”. ( Matthew 22:36) Jesus uses an immigrant to define “neighbor.” (Luke 10:25-37) Jesus provided free healthcare to all. (Mark 6:56, Luke 5:15, Matthew 4:23 & 9:35) Jesus warns: “You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matthew 6:24) Jesus warns that feeding the hungry, welcoming strangers, […]
Walls can do great things. Walls hold in the heat during winter and hold up the roof that keeps out the rain. Sometimes people put up walls to keep others away! Signs on those walls might read: “Keep out”, “Private”, “No Trespassing”, or “Members Only.” How do you feel when someone tells you to […]
I grew up in a different theological zip code than Belmont, as my childhood church served up occasional samples of hell-fire, with a dose of fear, and a pinch of guilt. We never canceled Wednesday children’s choir for Halloween. Instead, we hosted alternate fall festivals, carefully never saying “Halloween.” While dating Connie some 30 years […]
Imagine, Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Christ faces the cross: the complex, entrenched, religiously motivated cumulative hatred of all humanity in one symbol act. Will he fight, flee, or make a new pathway through love? The weight of a sinful world presses down upon him. Who is with Jesus in the garden? Will […]
My friend, John, is a rocket scientist; yes, literally a rocket scientist. John has degrees in Aeronautical Engineering and is a distinguished professor the University of Tennessee Space Institute In Tullahoma, TN. John told a version of this story to a group of high school seniors. John was working with NASA on a multi-year review […]
Moses caught a grand vision of how to liberate his enslaved during worship. Let’s just ponder that: Egyptian slavery starts to crumble as Moses turns aside, takes off his shoes, and stands on holy ground listening for God to call out from the bush. Holy Ground: Paul tells us that creation itself groans longing for […]
A few weeks ago, we took our family plus two on vacation to New York City. While there we visited several churches, even paying $42 for the six of us to tour a certain anonymous grand cathedral. While admiring the impressive grandeur of the sanctuary, I zeroed in on a stone fresco depicting Christ’s Easter […]
Over 30 years ago, I left my childhood denomination and joined the Methodist church. When people asked me, “Why did you become a Methodist?, I usually answered with one word: “Grace.” In seminary, when I read about Wesley’s idea of “being made perfect in love”, I wrote “this is idiotic. perhaps blasphemous” in the margins […]
Eleven year old Emily headed out with her mother to share “Take Your Daughter to Work Day.” She met judges, assistants, and clerks who worked with her mom and especially enjoyed helping the security guards scan courthouse visitors. She went to some meetings but had to sit out others, so she walked around the […]
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