About 400 years ago, sometime in late August of 1619, a pirate ship carrying “20 and odd” Africans landed in Point Comfort, Virginia. There they were sold for provisions for the ship. Thus the history of slavery in what would become the United States began. It was not the first time slaves were in America. […]
Signs and Wonders
In a world filled with tragedy and suffering it is hard to look past pain. In a world where there is a growing sense of powerlessness, where evil seems unchecked, it is easy to despair. Sometimes we focus on these things, sometimes they are worth that focus. And yet we are shown more. The essence […]
Plowshares 2
Earlier this week I wrote of the rising rhetoric and tolerance for hate in this country – or perhaps it is simply a more overt return to the sins of our past. This addressed hatred and dehumanization as the primary motive behind mass shootings. Before I go further I want to establish two theological points. […]
Plowshares
I gave my self a day or two to try and get things straight in my head, but I feel compelled to respond to the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton. Not those alone, but the fact that we are averaging more than one per day in this country. Why? Not Mental Illness. We […]
Sabbathing Part 2
Sabbathing Part 1 We often translate Sabbath as a “day of rest” but I am coming to understand it as a bit more than that. It is not simply rest but rest with restoration. What is the difference? Often we rest just enough to be able to do again tomorrow what we did today. Just […]
A Vignette
There was a woman dressed all in black standing on a street corner near the entrance to the subway. She is asking for pennies in Russian. Her age was indeterminate, but old. A babushka for sure. I do not know her circumstances but I can guess. She lived a hard life of deprivation under Soviet […]