Something dastardly caught my eye and broke my heart this week. A small article of news claiming that 68 children were killed in the Holy Land in the eleven days of fighting between the two ancient foes. As we observe our Memorial Day weekend in which we honor the memory of our soldiers killed in combat, why can’t we also honor the memory of all the children who were innocent victims of all wars. Maybe establish international monuments, like the Tomb of the Unknown Children. We might even consider honoring all those killed in all the wars ever by figuring […]
You Ring; We Bring
Adjusting to special circumstance of Covid 19, grocery stores began offering a delivery service to facilitate shoppers from having to enter the premises. This is not a new concept, but a welcomed one to those unable to get to the store. In my long-past youth, I worked for a local grocery whose niche was declared by its slogan: “May’s Food Market: You Ring; We Bring”. I must have been all of thirteen when I showed up at six o’clock for that first Saturday as a bag boy who would eventually end up being a gregarious grocer with a variety of […]
The Right to Bare Arms
The early part of 2021 witnessed the rollout of Covid 19 vaccines, and I was glad to be in that number of persons vaccinated by the middle of February. And the march goes on as we wait for all of us to get those shots. We were asked to bare our arms as a patriotic and medical duty to slow down this unseen pandemic that’s killing us. Speaking of killings, one wonders where the NRA has been lately. We have had ten mass shootings per week so far this year; 194 in all. [A mass shooting is when four or […]
Motherless Children of Another Exodus
The second chapter of Exodus begins with a story of a mother’s sleuth and chicanery to outwit the Pharaoh’s command that all the boys born to the Israelite slaves by killed. This unsung lady hid her little newborn in a basket in the bulrushes on the Nile in Egypt where the Pharaoh’s daughter discovers him, takes him home and unwittingly hires his birth mother as the nursemaid. She names the kid Moses because, as she put it, “I drew him out of the water.” Even with a such a confusing family tree, Moses emerges as the biblical hero who will […]
Being Dead Is No Excuse
Today’s catchy yet mysterious title is borrowed from a classic book by the same name on how grief and grace use groceries to enable those of us left behind after the funeral to manage our survival with some solace and soul food. The two southern ladies who wrote the charming culinary guide try to convince the readers that Folks in the Delta have a strong sense of community, and being dead is no impediment to belonging to it. Down South, they don’t forget you when you’ve up and died–in fact, they visit you more often. But there are quintessential rules […]
A Little More Breathing Room
The eyes and ears — along with the hearts and minds — of the whole world have been focussed on the trial of George Floyd until the jury’s verdict was finally rendered on Monday, and we could all breathe a sigh of relief that some sort of dramatic change was in the air at last. When the truth of what happened was captured on a video by a young bystander, all other arguments to the contrary not withstanding were emptied of any meaning. In horror and dismay we all watched the white knee on the black neck and heard the […]
Discerners or Doers?
Every now and then a certain word will crop up in ecclesiastical jargon that will outdo its usefulness and should be retired. I recall in the 90’s when church leaders were seeking the “cutting edge” of anything that might have enough hutzpah to coax a few new members into the fold. I was sitting next to an elderly friend at a Synod meeting where “cutting edge” was the clarion call for whatever when my friend nudged me and whispered “the cutting edge for the church should be gerontology.” After a few years of overuse, the cutting edge syndrome became excruciatingly […]
The Miracle of Easter Egg Leftovers
Back in olden days, the Easter bunny didn’t know how to lay plastic eggs. She [assumed pronoun] produced the hard-boiled, dyed, and colorful real things to hide in obscure places for kids to find on the annual “hunt”. Those adventurous searches for Easter eggs were quite daunting at times. When the game ended, the winner had the most eggs in her or his baskets. A few eggs were never found for many days, maybe even weeks. By then, however, they were easy to locate because of the stench that led you to find these Easter leftovers. Even before the putrid […]
The Grace of Easter’s Enigma
Years ago, when I was her minister, the mother of a four‑year‑old confronted me with a profound question. While she and her son were dragging out the plastic eggs and stuffed bunnies in preparation for the upcoming Easter festivities, she realized that somehow this was a cultural trick and treat game for the spring. You sort of trick the kids into believing in miracles [rabbits laying eggs] and treat them with candy and new clothes. She suddenly felt a compulsion to teach her son about the true meaning of Easter. But she was stumped. How do you explain the enigma […]
The Everlasting Last Supper
The original is a huge mural painted into the stucco on the refectory wall in an out-of-the-way convent called Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. We made a point to go out there one day to see the weathered version of Leonardo Da Vinci’s treasured artwork just prior to its latest restoration. Far from being a museum or art gallery, the venue had just a few visitors allowing us space and time to observe the painting. I was somewhat taken aback by the fact that it was located in what Presbyterians would refer to as the fellowship hall just above […]