Ponderings on a Faith Journey

JESUS ACCORDING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. By James D. G. Dunn. Foreword by Rowan Williams. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2019. Xv + 211 pages.

When we think of Jesus and his story, we think of the Gospels. We're not wrong in doing so. The Gospels provide us with much of what we know about Jesus. However, Jesus plays a central role in the entire New Testament. The question is, what does the New Testament as a whole have to say about Jesus? Let us remember that the oldest parts of the New Testament are not the Gospels but Paul’s letters. Therefore, if we want a full picture of Jesus—or as full as is possible—we need to consider the entire canon of the New Testament. Who better to guide us along the way than James D. G. Dunn, the Lightfoot Professor Emeritus of Divinity at Durham University.
I first encountered Dunn in seminary through his work on the Holy Spirit. I have since come to know him to be one of the foremost New Testament scholars of our day and a mentor to …

Psalm 63:1-8

Isaiah called out to the exiles living in Babylon:
Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
and you that have no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.  (Is. 55:1) Are you thirsty? Are you hungry? Then come and drink and eat, freely, for the gift of God is one of grace, and it alone will satisfy. 
As we continue our Lenten journey, the word we hear from the Psalmist echoes the words of Isaiah. This Psalm is said to come from David as he was in the wilderness of Judah. Both Isaiah and David speak of hunger and thirst. The question then becomes, for what do you hunger and thirst? Is it physical or is it spiritual? The fact is we will experience both forms in the course of lives. Both are real and both seek satisfaction. And in way or another, God is the source of that satisfaction.
This morning as we ponder the words of the Psalm, we are invited to consider what it means to be truly thirsty. As we consider what this means, the wo…

UNBELIEVABLE: Why Neither Ancient Creeds nor the Reformation Can Produce a Living Faith Today.By John Shelby Spong. San Francisco: Harper One, 2018. (paperback edition: 2019)



What kind of Christianity is left when much that has been traditionally affirmed as marking the essence of Christianity is deemed "unbelievable"? John Shelby Spong, a retired Episcopal bishop, who has a lot in common with another radical Episcopal Bishop—James Pike—has made a name for himself by challenging traditional beliefs and practices, even as he served as a leader in one of the most traditional of Christian denominations. Nonetheless, he offers us in this book a manifesto of sorts, calling on Christians to abandon the old ways and follow a different path. As the declaration on the book’s cover, attributed to "Booklist," puts it: "Luther launched a reformation with 95 Theses. Spong would launch another with 12." I expect that there will be much pushback on that assertion, but Sp…

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)19 For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
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Although winter played havoc on our ability to meet regularly for our Wednesday Bible Study, we’re finally back on schedule. Today we turn to chapters 8-9 of 1 Corinthians. Chapter 8 speaks to the question of meat sacrificed to idols. It is sai…

Isaiah 55:1-9 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
55 Ho, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
    and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
    listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
    my steadfast, sure love for David.
4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
    a leader and commander for the peoples.
5 See, you shall call nations that you do not know,
    and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
    for he has glorified you. 6 Seek the Lord while he may be found,
    call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake their way,
    and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them…

PILOTING CHURCH: Helping Your Congregation Take Flight. By Cameron Trimble. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2019. 136 pages.



I was ordained nearly thirty-five years ago and have been serving as pastor of small congregations for the past twenty years. Being small, the congregations I’ve served wrestle with sustainability, but perhaps more importantly, they struggle to find energy for ministry. These are congregations made up of good people, many of whom are senior citizens, who seek to be faithful in their service of God and participation in the church. They wonder why people aren't coming to church like they did in years past. Those of us who serve such congregations have read our share of church growth books. We’ve seen the proposed solutions. We may have tried to implement the proposed solutions. They may make some impact, but it’s clear there are no silver bullets. While this is true, we may learn something that could improve the situation. Many church growth books are written from a…