In addition to being an ordained minister, I am also a standup comedian. One thing I’ve always wanted to do at the end of my set (and my sermons) was a mic drop — that moment when a comedian…
Wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger
If you have seen Will Ferrell’s Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, it’s hard to hear Luke’s Christmas story without thinking of the “baby Jesus grace.” Ricky Bobby is a driver not a thinker, and it shows. “Dear lord…
Advent and prison cells
Every three years, the Revised Common Lectionary takes us to a prison. On the Third Sunday of Advent — a Sunday of Joy, where many churches light a rosy candle and “Joy to the World” resounds in open halls —…
Mary and Joseph — and Kevin
Shivering, wet guests file into the fellowship hall. It is cold and raining on the Thursday before Christmas. Two hundred homeless people have come to church for chicken spaghetti. I pass a marker around my table. We fill out nametags….
God is with us but where?
Another year, another Advent season. God is with us and it is spectacular. Or, maybe it isn’t anymore. Perhaps, we are beginning to feel that God has come and gone due to a political season that has taken a toll…
‘Do you see this woman?’ A model for Christian engagement
Luke 7 tells the story of Jesus being invited for dinner at Simon the Pharisee’s house. During the visit, we’re told that “a woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s…
If I was God, Christmas would be different
We had to take our baby to the hospital this past week. He was having trouble breathing in the middle of the night so we took him to the emergency room at 3 a.m. The doctors at the local hospital…
A Christmas list for Donald Trump
President-Elect Trump, Congratulations on wining this year’s presidential election. As Christians around the country prepare to celebrate Christmas, you are also building your inner circle of advisors who will set policy for our nation in the coming year. As your…
What is a ‘Recombobulation Area’?
I’ve seen a lot of unusual things, people and events in airports. It takes something special to get a reaction from me. Recently, I saw something that stopped me in my tracks. In fact, I took a photo of the…
Discerning a sign from God
I must admit being a little leery of persons who see signs of divine intervention at every turn. Whether it be an open parking space, a favorite team’s victory, or finding the last toy on the shelf (the perfect gift…
My Christmas prayer
We were standing at the airport in Havana, Cuba, preparing to depart for our return home when our translator, Vladimir, turned to me and asked, “What is a ‘grinch’?” His look of confusion was understandable given he could find no…
An Advent prayer
O God of Advent, You are with us, Emmanuel, near as breath, present as Spirit, guiding us as Lord. You hear our sighs and groans and speak their language. When we are in chaos, you make sense of our wildest…