What does being one body with many diverse members look like in our church? I recently participated in a meeting between clergy and Fairfax County school administrators on collaborating in their One Fairfax endeavor to promote equity for all residents. We will certainly want to support and even learn from that effort. Our schools have more experience in this than most churches. Loving and caring for each other is the mark of Christian faith.

How do we respond to Jesus’ instructions to travel light with “a walking stick, no bread, no backpack, no cash, no change of clothes”? When I lived in India, I often met Hindu sadhus who traveled like that. Their only possessions were a walking stick, a water jar, an alms bowl, prayer beads, and perhaps an extra cloth to wrap around their body. I admit that I’m a bumbling disciple who has a hard time unloading stuff but am nevertheless drawn to the call to travel light—to simplify my life and to completely trust God.

How do we, as followers of Jesus, respond to our government’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy?  The lesson from Jesus’ parable of the great feast is that there are no reserved tables for honored insiders at the messianic banquet. Insiders who send their regrets are out and outsiders are in. Before relating that to the immigration policies of nation-states, we will want to take a hard look at the welcome mat of our churches. Do we actually welcome everyone? While our government cannot imagine the kind of radical welcome that Jesus proposes, we can at least insist that we follow the rule of law and show compassion by not separating children from parents when families that cross our borders seeking asylum.

Summary: Like me, many get a little queasy with some of the bloody atonement language in our Christian hymns and liturgies. It fails to communicate but, even worse, it can…

Summary: The issue underlying Jesus’ dispute with the Pharisees regarding Sabbath laws is similar to the controversy over American immigration laws today. Laws that are supposed to protect and provide…