As we rise to meet this new day, let us do so with a living hope – not the frail optimism that depends on human efforts and ingenuity – but rather the living hope God has graciously granted us through the resurrection of Jesus. As we...
To preach about politics or not to preach about politics—that is a question many pastors are now asking with urgency. Those who say we should preach about politics often reference 20th c. German theologian Karl Barth, who said that preachers should hold a Bible in one...
A couple of weeks ago, a young adult in my church returned from vacation to find her career-related institution being dismantled. She was disheartened, saying, “I never wanted to be a freedom fighter.” While she advocated for students with disabilities and those from disadvantaged backgrounds,...
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he...
When all the ways forward feel like lose-lose scenarios, choose depth instead. “The deeper our faith, the more doubt we must endure; the deeper our hope, the more prone we are to despair; the deeper our love, the more pain its loss will bring: these...
Isaiah 29:13–16 (NRSV) The Lord said: “Because these people draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote; so I will again do amazing things with this people, shocking and amazing. The...
Today, we have access to more resources than ever before. The internet, an information superhighway, serves as a vast repository of encyclopedic knowledge, accessible from almost any location at any time. This unprecedented abundance prompts an important question: What have we achieved with all this...
Throughout The Ministry Collaborative’s decade-plus work alongside clergy in Scotland, we were fortunate to be guided by and learn from two gifted pastors, Arthur Christie and Peter Neilson. In recent correspondence with Peter, he shared the following reflection. What I have learned most in our...
“The Quiet Revival” - a survey conducted in the UK by YouGov on behalf of The Bible Society UK - claims, “Church attendance [in England and Wales] has risen by 50 per cent over the last six years, busting the myth of church decline.” Moreover,...