Your Money or Your Life
This week's scripture texts really represent a tee-shot for stewardship season, the text from Mark especially - the story of the Rich Young Ruler, who is asked by Jesus to give it all away. Most [...]
What did Jesus really say about divorce?
There are times when I want to say to the lectionary committee: thanks a lot.(Note: The lectionary, in case you're not up with the church lingo, is the set of Bible passages that are prescribed [...]
Falling Into an Outhouse
During a round of golf, here's what you say when you make a particularly bad and embarrassing shot that nevertheless ends up in wonderful spot: "falling into an outhouse and coming up with ice cream."Crass. [...]
Repentance: getting a clear view
Last week's sermon spurred several responses. I'll mention one here. One member shared with me having had a marital spat the night before - which had been weighing heavily that morning, and about which he [...]
Repentance: The Theology of Apology
This Sunday, I begin a new series called "Repentance: The Theology of Apology". I invite you to prepare, along with me, to hear and discern God's Word!Some Information about this three-part series, beginning September 13 [...]
Heroditus vs. Thucydides? The Melian Debate
In today's sermon, entitled "The Melian Debate," I am posing two differing ways of thinking about history - and I might add, different understandings of international and political relations among human beings. Today's sermon offers [...]
Bentham vs. the Bible: Can We Use Scripture to Justify Torture?
The sermon that I gave this morning deals with the question, Is it right that our society self-consciously and self avowedly employs the method of torture in the effort to keep us safe?Without repeating the [...]
What does the Bible say about immigration?
For you folk who want to cut to the chase, here's the question for this week: Does the gospel (and the scriptures in general) speak to how we ought to treat the stranger in our [...]
Did Jesus Come to Destroy Human Religion?
Friends! Jeff V. here. I see it's been a long time since an entry has appeared in this space. Blogging is harder to do (especially as a collective enterprise) than I'd thought. I will continue [...]
We Wish You a Meaningful Christmas
Perhaps lighter, simpler fare this week. No big theological stuff. Stories! Provided by...YOU! Jeff here again, doing blog duty. Next week - Mary Alice...you tuning in?Here's the question for the week: how are YOU making meaning [...]
What would you do if Mary and Joseph arrived at your door?
We all know the story. Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem. No room in the inn. A stable is all they can find for their nightly digs.We might picture the typical first-century travel experience as [...]
How do we live as Advent People?
Black Friday was indeed a black day. There were incidents throughout the country of death and violence connected to the door buster sales offered. There was the 34-year-old man who was trampled to death when [...]
As a Christian, who, if anyone, would be on your "Axis of Evil" list?
As Christians, do we have a list of people or countries that we would consider evil and if so, who would they be? The phrase, "Axis of Evil" has been recently used by our president [...]
Would Jesus hang out with gay people?
Unfortunately, we regressed in our Blog participation last week - after a record 8 comments on our question, "How Would Jesus Vote?", we got a grand total of...zip, zero, nada...last week. I'm sure folks were [...]
Money, mulah, filthy lucre, mammon…how do YOU talk about it?
This week's blog question is on a topic that we're all thinking about - especially us'ns who are in the church biz: money. It's stewardship season! And although we emphasize that stewardship (a vastly misunderstood [...]
How would Jesus vote?
The question for this week has to do with what we're all thinking about...well, at least one of the things we can't avoid thinking about: the election.Obviously, I mean for the title of this entry [...]
Lawrenceville Church a Web 2.0 Congregation? What Do You Think?
Jeff V. writing here.... I'm back after a long summer's nap. This post is really an attempt to re-establish our blogging practice as a church...and that's the subject of the post.I've obviously been rather reluctant [...]
The pope agrees with me?
As a response to my sermon last week, a church member forwarded to me Beliefnet's daily joke (http://www.beliefnet.com/dailyjoke/DailyJoke.aspx?QID=3621). Though I usually delete without reading the joke emails that people send to me, I'm thinking of [...]