Thinking After

Category: Reflections

  • A Long and Winding Word

    A Guest Post by Victor Shepherd

    This is the fourth  in a series of posts engaging with the sermons in Leaps of Faith: Sermons from the Edge.  This post is a reflection upon a sermon  entitled “A Long and Winding Word” (pp. 10-17). The Scriptural text for the sermon was Psalm 119:97-112. (more…)

  • Mary and Martha, Lucia and Lazarus

    A Guest Post by Joseph Mangina

    This is the second  in a series of posts engaging with the sermons in Leaps of Faith: Sermons from the Edge.  This post is a reflection upon a sermon preached at the funeral of Lucia Metella Robinson, entitled, “‘Mary and Martha, Lucia and Lazarus” (pp. 165-170).  The Scriptural text for the sermon was John 11:1-3, 17-44. (more…)

  • “My Daddy Was a Pimp!” and Other Skeletons from the Closet

    A Guest Post by Ian Scott

    This is the first in a series of posts engaging with the sermons in Leaps of Faith: Sermons from the Edge.  This post is a reflection upon the first sermon in the book, entitled, “‘My Daddy Was a Pimp!’ and Other Skeletons from the Closet” (pp. 3-9).  The Scriptural text for the sermon was Genesis 12:10-20. (more…)

  • Repentance as Resistance: Ash Wednesday

    Those in attendance at the Wycliffe College Annual Preaching Day this past Monday were treated to multiple courses of rich fare as Fleming Rutledge spoke throughout the day on the theme of “Preaching the Cross in Our Rapidly Changing World.”  Wycliffe College has posted the video of her presentations on their YouTube channel here.  At one point, I believe it was in response to a question, Rutledge suggested that we dare not underestimate the importance of repentance in our resistance to the Powers. (more…)

  • “When Talk is Cheap”: A Prayer for Faithful Speech

    I prepared the following pastoral prayer for worship this morning.  The biblical texts for the pastor’s sermon were James 3:3-5 and Ephesians 4:29.  I have removed some petitions pertaining to particular persons and situations within the life of the congregation. (more…)

  • Theology as Thinking After

    Last night, I kicked off my winter semester “Systematic Theology I” course at Tyndale Seminary.  It seems like a quite wonderful group of students called together from a wide cross-section of locales, denominational backgrounds, and life experiences.  Some of the ground I covered last night reminded me of the inaugural post I wrote for this blog a little over a year ago. Since it was posted before things really got rolling on the blog and because it might be of interest to my newest batch of students, I thought I’d re-post a large excerpt from that first post.  The original post was entitled, “Beginning in the Middle.”
    (more…)

  • It Ain’t Easy Being a Prophet

    Isaiah stands as the preeminent prophet of the Season of Advent. Many of the most recognizable Scripture readings associated with the season are found in the pages of what is sometimes referred to as “the fifth Gospel.”  These include:

    “A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD .’” (40:3 NRSV) (more…)

  • A Prayer for Christ the King Sunday

    This past Sunday many congregations marked the end of the Christian year by celebrating Christ the King Sunday.  The Feast of Christ the King is a relatively recent addition to the Christian calendar.  It was established as a festal celebration by Pope Pius XI in 1925 and has, in the years that have followed, also begun to be celebrated by many Protestant denominations and congregations.  There is a certain fittingness to the Christian calendar ending with the proclamation, “Christ is King!”  Not only does this resonate with the shape of the biblical narrative itself, it also provides an obvious segue into the season of Advent, where we await the coming of the King.  As I was preparing for worship this past week, I came across a prayer I wrote for worship on Christ the King Sunday back in 2008 that seems like it might also be of use for us today. (more…)

  • The Morning After

    The following reflection was originally posted earlier today on the website of Amberlea Presbyterian Church.

    I imagine that there are many bleary-eyed Americans arriving at their places of work this morning.  I am simply an interested observer in Canada, yet I found myself up into the wee hours of the morning unable to pry myself away from the television coverage of the final stages of what has been an extremely divisive, and often ugly, presidential campaign.  This morning there is extra spring in the steps of many our neighbours to the South who are elated with the surprising election results.  Others, for whom the election did not go as planned, find themselves in a place of sheer despondency.  While it’s understandable that the candidates and those who have worked so hard to support them would feel such emotions, I would suggest that this should not be the case for Christians. (more…)

  • The Ruler of the World Has Not Changed

    After months and months of campaigning the United States presidential campaign has finally come to an end. Millions both within and beyond the borders of the United States now wait with bated breath for the results to come in. While others are finally able to breathe a sigh of relief at the prospect of no longer having to endure the 24-hour news cycle filled with prickly pundits and surly syndicates attempting to yell over top of one another. Sadly, the presidential election campaign is indirectly responsible for what has become by far my most read blog post, in which I questioned journalist, author and former VeggieTales writer Eric Metaxas’ appropriation of the life and legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. (more…)