Fred Craddock once talked about how grace and gratitude belong together. He described it like this: “If you see two people standing facing each other, and there is a gift between them, and you don’t know which one is the giver and which one is the receiver, that is a Christian act. Grace is giving. […]
The Future of Love: Some Thoughts on Maundy Thursday
On Maundy Thursday, the church gathers around a simple table. And we share a simple meal. And we hear a simple command: love one another. That’s the new commandment that Jesus gave the church that night when he gathered at a simple table to share a simple meal with his friends. Nothing extravagant—just this: love one […]
Exhausted
My lovely wife took that picture of me during our quick coffee date yesterday afternoon. We were in the middle of a crowded Panera, people scurrying everywhere with hot bowls of soup and huge salads, and we sat in the comfortable chairs beside the fireplace to connect with one another as we each tended to […]
The Ongoing Challenge of Listening Together
Today I am thinking about the recent action of the Presbyterian Church (USA) that will soon allow me to perform a wedding for two people of the same gender. That same action also makes it possible for our congregation’s session to approve a same gender wedding on the church property, should they choose to do so. […]
A Song in the Chaos
In the waning moments before one of our recent snow events, I went to the grocery story to buy the essentials. Others may go for milk and bread. I go for cookie dough, ice cream, and cereal. Even though I knew it was unlikely that I would be the only one in the store, I wasn’t […]
Remembering Fred Craddock
I’m going to write a word, and the moment that you read the word, I want you to see a face. To recall a face and a name, someone who comes to your mind when you read the word. Are you ready? The word is preacher. Preacher. Do you see a face? I see […]