Prayers of Faith: Reliance

Third in a series on prayers of faith. “If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.  But ask in faith, never doubting….”  - James, the brother of Jesus of Nazareth Praying, despite all the ink devoted to discussing it, seems …

Continue reading Prayers of Faith: Reliance

On the Crucifixion of Christ Jesus

“Christmas and Easter can be subjects for poetry, but Good Friday, like Auschwitz, cannot. The reality is so horrible it is not surprising that people should have found it a stumbling block to faith.”   ― W.H. Auden The death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion has a profound impact on the social world.  It divides. Actually, …

Continue reading On the Crucifixion of Christ Jesus

On the Crucifixion of Christ Jesus

Jesus was dead. There could be no rational basis for disputing that.  Beaten nearly to death after not having slept all night.  Nailed to a cross with heavy spikes through the upper writs and lower legs.  Left to hang in the heat, slowly suffocating, struggling for each breath. Parched and dehydrated, starved for food.  Stabbed …

Continue reading On the Crucifixion of Christ Jesus

On The Crucifixion of Christ Jesus

As we near the Easter celebration, the proliferation of bunnies, eggs, flowers, and pastel colors pushes and shoves the Easter story – the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth – off the stage.  Instead of solemnity and introspection at the greatest human event in history, we are beset with sales, gaudy trinkets, and …

Continue reading On The Crucifixion of Christ Jesus