“He could do nothing”

Last night in worship, we read through Matthew’s account of the Last Supper, Betrayal, Arrest, Trial, and Crucifixion of Jesus. Matthew’s description (in chapter 27) of Pilate’s response to Jesus stayed with me: So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed…

Reflection from Auschwitz

I’ll be speaking more about this on Sunday in worship, but wanted to share the video a friend took while we were touring the Birkenau Concentration Camp. It was one of those moments where I was thankful to be at the right place at the right time. If anyone knows what they are singing, I…

The “costs” of Discrimination

One of our news channels today aired this story about the cost of the Add the Words demonstrations at the Idaho Capitol this session. http://www.ktvb.com/news/capitol-watch/Police-protesters-talk-about-the-cost-of-Add-the-4-Words-protests-248917111.html And the dollars are real. Apparently it has cost the state $19,000 dollars to arrest over 100 unarmed and non-violent citizens who were standing at the capitol hoping their elected…

Transfigured Touch

A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho on March 2, 2014 Exodus 24:12-18 Matthew 17:1-9 Did you notice any similarities between the text from Exodus about Moses and Matthew’s story of the Transfiguration? I hope you did. And the author of Matthew’s gospel certainly hopes you did. Matthew, if you recall, tends…

Praying for Perfection

A  sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho and Boone Memorial Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in Caldwell, Idaho February 23, 2014 Matthew 5:38-48 “There are six hundred passages of explicit violence in the Hebrew Bible, one thousand verses where God’s own violent actions of punishment are described, a hundred passages where Yahweh expressly commands…