Even though I attempted a sermon on this text nearly thirty years ago, it is still not without fear and trembling that I attempt to make an explanation of it now. Because under the surface of these beautiful and memorable words which have brought comfort and peace to untold thousands of penitent sinners, there lies the never completely penetrable depth of God’s mysterious dealings with a race of men estranged from Him. To consider this text at all is to…
Weird and wonderful superheroes haven’t had it so good since the days of Baal and Zeus. Turn on the television, and you can be touched by a heavenly angel, pull for a dark angel on a big bike, or recoil from Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s sometime boyfriend Angel. And this season there’s the off-beat Joan of Arcadia, in which in each episode a teen-age girl runs into God who every time shows up in a different guise, ranging from boy…
What is competition? We talk about healthy competition, ensuring competition, and being a competitive person, all of which have positive connotations. Americans, in general, see it as a good thing, or, if not good, at least natural . . . like a self-regulating free-market or an undisturbed ecosystem in balance. For this reason it’s not surprising that in defining the word competition, the Webster dictionary uses both business and organic competition as its secondary examples. The primary definition however is…
Watching the preparations for the recent Iraqi War gave me a disturbing feeling of deja vu. The Bush Administration issued ever more dire warnings about the danger posed by Iraq, though no imminent danger seemed evident to Iraq’s neighbors. From the start it seemed clear that the Bush Administration wanted to settle this “crisis” militarily; their requests for Congressional and U.N. approval were grudging gestures designed to placate critics and provide legitimacy for a course of action already decided upon….
Like all of us who carry hidden pain, he soberly performed his task that day …
Whether you love the Canons, are deeply suspicious of them, or would rather not have to think about them at all, everyone will gain something from the background that Heideman provides, his explanation of the Articles, and how he questions and expands upon them.
In this episode of the poetry edition, Rose Postma interviews Lory Widmer Hess. Lory is an American currently living with her family in Switzerland. She works with adults with developmental disabilities and is in training as a spiritual director. Her publication credits include Parabola, Amethyst Review, and Ekstasis, and her book When Fragments Make a Whole: A Personal Journey Through Healing Stories in the Bible will be published by Floris Books in 2024. Visit her website and blog at enterenchanted.com.
In this episode of the poetry edition, Rose Postma interviews Matthew Pullar about his poem “Vespers.” Matthew is a teacher and writer based in Melbourne, Australia. He is the author of three collections of poetry. You can read “Vespers” on reformedjournal.com.
Batter my boat Wide-spread Water make your breakers shake my hull …
