“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7) At face value, this beatitude seems so simple and obvious: to those who are merciful, mercy shall be given. It is a “reap what you sow” statement, a karma-style mantra, and a “what goes around comes around” mindset. Yet, for being such an easy […]
Tag: Modernity
On Our Mourning
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) Along with the poor, Jesus is always at the side of those who mourn. Our Lord and Savior knew great loss and sorrow and is always ready to comfort all those going through periods (sometimes lifetimes) of mourning. The role of comforter and […]
On Our Wealth
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) This Lenten season, I am reflecting on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. This is a sub-series of writings as part of a yearlong effort to ponder the gospel of Matthew and look at this text as it relates to the […]
On Choice of Words
When we look at both faith and politics, we find a lot of rhetoric. Lots of words. Some may be just filler, but all are chosen—to persuade, reassure, distract, disarm, deflect, encourage, motivate, etc. (As is often the case, I find myself questioning the writing of this reflection at all, knowing that I am writing […]
On Peace on Earth
During this past Christmas season, I found myself meditating on the concept of “peace on earth”. Peace between nations, peace between people, peace from war, and peace within. As cards of the season’s greetings came in the mail, as church services were attended, and as all the festive lights shown around me, I found myself […]
On Reflection
Yes, a reflection on reflection. After all, if people like Martin Luther did not reflect on their faith, the Reformation would not have happened. We too must reflect on our faith. And I think there is merit to doing this both privately and publicly. In fact, I believe that is a hallmark of Luther and […]
On Victory
On this day, the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, we must ask ourselves: What would victory look like for the Reformation? And have we reached that point? Is victory the unification of Catholic and Lutheran churches? Is victory unification of all Christendom? Is victory joint statements on doctrines and beliefs? Is victory the honoring […]
On Strangers and Enemies
Strangers are not always our enemies and our enemies are not always strangers, but we often treat strangers like our enemies and our enemies like strangers. And that’s because strangers and enemies are both often simply the result of human-made barriers and conflict. Some barriers are so systemically ingrained in our world that we forget […]
On Money
A key frustration of Martin Luther was how the church glorified and used money. He saw that the church in his day distorted the good news of Christ by offering salvation in exchange for money. And when the church became focused on money it ceased being the church. It stopped serving God. I wonder if […]
On Relationships
Martin Luther challenged the church teachings on relationships for priests and got married. Protestant churches today often view this as a minor detail. A natural, easy thing to accept. However, we must realize the uniqueness of this action. Now, it may be that historically some priests had secret wives in Luther’s day, but there is […]
Relevant Reformation 