https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdN7vC2q9Mc 'Wake Awake, For Night is Flying,' arranged by F. Melius Christiansen (St. Olaf College Choir). "Wake, awake! for night is flying,"The watchmen on the heights are crying;"Awake, Jerusalem, arise!"-- Philip Nicolai (Hymnary.org) A couple of weeks ago, I attended a planning workshop at my parish church that took an unexpected turn. The workshop was … Continue reading ‘Awake, for night is flying’: An armchair theologian’s mission statement for Advent and the new year (1 of _?)
‘If I am only for myself, what am I?’: No Kings placard raises moral imperative. If not us, WHO? If not now, WHEN?
No Kings rally, Illinois State Capitol, Oct. 18, 2025 (screenshot, Debi Edmund). In the past 65 years, I have probably joined, watched and/or covered literally hundreds of rallies, lobby days, demonstrations, political speeches, festivals, street fairs and other outdoor events. Saturday's No Kings rally in front of the Illinois State Capitol was one by far … Continue reading ‘If I am only for myself, what am I?’: No Kings placard raises moral imperative. If not us, WHO? If not now, WHEN?
‘A shame for the nations’: What can a spiritual mutt make of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement as the Gaza war grinds on
Demonstrator faces Israeli soldier in occupied West Bank, 2012 (Wikimedia Commons). With the self-examination and repentance of the High Holy Days coming up fast, Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin wrote a column for Religion News Service that touched me deeply. Using a Yiddish expression that's too nuanced to translate easily, he suggests the hard-right settlers in Israel's … Continue reading ‘A shame for the nations’: What can a spiritual mutt make of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement as the Gaza war grinds on
David Brooks discusses ‘moral injury’ inflicted by Trump’s cruelty and bullying (notes for spiritual direction, July ’25)
David Brooka on PBS News Hour, March 3, 2025 (quote at 5:40). Screen shot. Editor’s (admin’s) note: A copy of my email, with necessary links and edits, in advance of this month’s appointment with my spiritual director, giving her a heads-up on what I’d been journaling on since our last meeting and, more to the point, … Continue reading David Brooks discusses ‘moral injury’ inflicted by Trump’s cruelty and bullying (notes for spiritual direction, July ’25)
Israeli law professors warn partisan crackdown on pro-Palestinian students threatens ‘prelude to persecution’ of Jewish, other progressives
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt_8BmsFZzU Passover seder at protest camps, Penn and Swarthmore, April 28, 2024 (WPVI-TV Philly). Editor's (admin's) note, April 15. The essay by Itamar Mann and Lihi Yona of Haifa University is detailed, and closely reasoned -- difficult to paraphrase -- and I've tried several times to work up a post. But events keep getting ahead … Continue reading Israeli law professors warn partisan crackdown on pro-Palestinian students threatens ‘prelude to persecution’ of Jewish, other progressives
What happens when you read a gospel as poetry? or with a grain of salt? John, ‘the Jews’ and the man who was born blind
Jesus healing man born blind, El Greco, 1567 (Wikimedia Commons). John 9 (NRSVue)): 28 Then they reviled [the man who had been born blind], saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30 The man … Continue reading What happens when you read a gospel as poetry? or with a grain of salt? John, ‘the Jews’ and the man who was born blind
Hospital journal 2: Reading a novel about a Jewish mystic seeking ‘acceptable heresies’ in the shadow of the atomic bomb
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (Wikimedia Commons). “These books are really records of the religious imagination, Arthur. […] They say things in these books that no one dares to say anywhere else. I feel comfortable with these acceptable heresies. God originally as sacred emptiness; ascents to God that are filled with danger, as if you were … Continue reading Hospital journal 2: Reading a novel about a Jewish mystic seeking ‘acceptable heresies’ in the shadow of the atomic bomb
What can a Jewish novelist from the Bronx teach a lapsed mainline Protestant in Tennessee? The things that really matter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqudmZ5H3iw Editor's (admin's) note. I began this post a couple of weeks ago, and I was just about finished with it when I went in the hospital for a week. During that time, I did a lot of reading. (What else can you do when you're strapped to a hospital bed?) So I lost my … Continue reading What can a Jewish novelist from the Bronx teach a lapsed mainline Protestant in Tennessee? The things that really matter
‘Fiddler’: A little schmaltz as a tonic for grief in spite of the tragic tones lurking in the background
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsDP-90j9x8&t=4s Tevye: A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But here, in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn't easy. You may ask 'Why do we stay up there … Continue reading ‘Fiddler’: A little schmaltz as a tonic for grief in spite of the tragic tones lurking in the background
An exhasted, cynical wannabe ‘disciple’ finds hope (and marching orders?) in Jesus, Micah and Rabbi Tarfon of 1st-century Yavneh (Sundays@6, journal 3)
Headlines in Times of Israel, Oct. 2, 2024, 6:16am (CDT). The morning headlines couldn't have been much worse. The Middle East is sliding into all-out war, and it looks the US is about to be dragged into it by a president too old and stubborn to realize his policy toward Israel has failed. In the … Continue reading An exhasted, cynical wannabe ‘disciple’ finds hope (and marching orders?) in Jesus, Micah and Rabbi Tarfon of 1st-century Yavneh (Sundays@6, journal 3)
The spirit blows where it will, and this time the spirit blew me from my parish church in Springfield to a synagogue in Galilee and Luther’s Marienkirche in Wittenberg
Restored ruins of 4th-century synagogue at Capernaum (Wikimedia Commons). John 6 (NRSVUE). 59 He said these things while he was teaching in a synagogue at Capernaum. 60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” 61 But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, … Continue reading The spirit blows where it will, and this time the spirit blew me from my parish church in Springfield to a synagogue in Galilee and Luther’s Marienkirche in Wittenberg
An aging hippie reflects on student protests, in the 60s and now, and the lessons of Passover in wartime
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U75KcMUjMyI 'Seder in the Streets to Stop Arming Israel,' Brooklyn, April 23, 2024. What's an aging hippie to do? Coverage of the student protests over US support of Israel's conduct in Gaza brings back so many memories of the anti-war movement of the 1960s, it ought to come with a trigger warning. Most of the … Continue reading An aging hippie reflects on student protests, in the 60s and now, and the lessons of Passover in wartime
Scary headlines distract from student protesters’ Passover service, message of support for Gaza
Shabbat service Friday at Gaza protest, @TheIndypendent, New York City. Over the weekend as the Passover holiday neared, the headlines blared. "Anti-Israel Protests RAGE At Columbia, Biden CONDEMNS Anti-Semitism on Campus" (The Hill), read one. "Columbia University campus security concerns ahead of Passover," said another (ABC News), in more modulated tones. And a third, "Rabbi … Continue reading Scary headlines distract from student protesters’ Passover service, message of support for Gaza
Fixing the world’s grief, at least feeling a little better about my own, with a little help from a meme on social media
For several years now, an internet meme has been a mantra of mine when the news gets unbearable. Or, maybe, a talisman. More likely some of both. It purports to be a quote from the Talmud, but actually it's a paraphrase or mashup of passages from a prophet in the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, … Continue reading Fixing the world’s grief, at least feeling a little better about my own, with a little help from a meme on social media
Back to the 1980s: Getting a biopsy during a hospital cyberattack with a little help from a Jesuit exercise and a Jewish novelist
As soon as I checked in at the registration desk in the main lobby at HSHS St. John's, I knew this hospital visit was going to be different. Normally when I check in at a doctor’s office, I give my name, the receptionist calls up my file and I give my date of birth or … Continue reading Back to the 1980s: Getting a biopsy during a hospital cyberattack with a little help from a Jesuit exercise and a Jewish novelist
Impact of Indiana’s abortion ban on women’s health services in Illinois, religious pluralism post-Roe v. Wade
Clips, links for 'Swedes in Roger Williams' Garden' The evening before Indiana's extreme new anti-abortion law went into effect, protesters gathered at the county courthouse in Bloomington, Ind., for a Jewish Havdalah ceremony marking what they see as a transition from "an era of full rights [...] into a darker time," as Illinois gears up … Continue reading Impact of Indiana’s abortion ban on women’s health services in Illinois, religious pluralism post-Roe v. Wade
Here’s what Krister Stendahl said, in his own words, about ‘holy envy’ in the context of effective interfaith dialog
Krister Stendahl, dean of Harvard Divinity School and bishop of Stockholm in the Lutheran state Church of Sweden, is probably best known now for his "three rules of religious understanding" -- especially the third rule, "Leave room for 'holy envy'," which supplied the title of a best-selling book in 2019. The book is Barbara Brown … Continue reading Here’s what Krister Stendahl said, in his own words, about ‘holy envy’ in the context of effective interfaith dialog
‘Overzealous prosecutors’ and judicial chutzpah — threats to freedom of religion in post-Roe America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHKf-9oPMO0 Posted to B'nai Jeshurun YouTube channel, May 23, 2022 Before Roe v. Wade was overturned, veteran Supreme Court watcher Dahlia Lithwick warned that the "fear of overzealous prosecutors" would set the tone of debate over the rights of women under strict abortion bans in "post-Roe America." Speaking a month before Dobbs v. Jackson Women's … Continue reading ‘Overzealous prosecutors’ and judicial chutzpah — threats to freedom of religion in post-Roe America
Florida synagogue challenges state’s abortion ban on religious grounds for mandating theological doctrine
*** UPDATE (June 24) *** I posted this last night, hours before the Supreme Court handed down its opinion overthrowing Roe v. Wade. But I think the reasoning behind the Florida lawsuit won't be affected, since it challenges a state law in the state courts. Nor should the religious freedom issue be affected, since it … Continue reading Florida synagogue challenges state’s abortion ban on religious grounds for mandating theological doctrine
Proclaiming the ‘E Word’ on the Z App — walking the talk as the SARS-CoV-2 variants shape an uneasy new normal
Debi and I recently finished co-facilitating a six-week book study on evangelism for our parish church -- over Zoom no less -- and it was a pleasant surprise. The book, Reclaiming the 'E' Word: Waking Up to Our Evangelical Identity, is by Kelly Fryer, an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America who … Continue reading Proclaiming the ‘E Word’ on the Z App — walking the talk as the SARS-CoV-2 variants shape an uneasy new normal
Learning to pray from George Burns and a young adult novel by Judy Blume
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x0i-FfeA44 I know how hard it is in these times to have faith. But maybe if you could have the faith to start with, maybe the times would change. You could change them. Think about it. Try. And try not to hurt each other. There's been enough of that. It really gets in the way. … Continue reading Learning to pray from George Burns and a young adult novel by Judy Blume
Uneasy with St. John’s bias against ‘the Jews’ in an age of religious pluralism? Here are a couple of ways to deal with it
Christ Before Pilate, Hans Holbein the Younger, ca. 1538-40 (Wikimedia Commons) Now comes Jim McDermott SJ, associate editor of the Jesuit magazine America, and suggests -- in the headline, no less -- "The Gospel of John has been used to justify anti-Semitism—so we should stop reading it on Good Friday." To which I say: Amen, … Continue reading Uneasy with St. John’s bias against ‘the Jews’ in an age of religious pluralism? Here are a couple of ways to deal with it
‘Here am I’: Isaiah’s call to prophesy in the year King Uzziah died; also, nibbling around the edges of today’s apocalypse
The Prophet Isaiah, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, ca. 1725 (Wikimedia Commons). Isaiah 6 (NRSV). In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, … Continue reading ‘Here am I’: Isaiah’s call to prophesy in the year King Uzziah died; also, nibbling around the edges of today’s apocalypse
Spiritual direction, March 2022
d r a f t Editor’s (admin’s) note: Lightly edited copy of email I wrote in advance of this month’s appointment with my spiritual director, giving her a heads-up on what I’d been journaling on since our last meeting and, more to the point, helping me focus over time by archiving the emails with my journals … Continue reading Spiritual direction, March 2022
Thoughts, prayers, wisdom from the Talmud and acting against ‘the enormity of the world’s grief’ in wartime
Screen grab of meme shared to my Facebook news feed, Oct. 29, 2021. For several months I've been wanting to jumpstart my prayer life, but until last week I never would have thought it would involve the heartache of praying for peace in Ukraine in the face of a failed World War II-style blitzkrieg that … Continue reading Thoughts, prayers, wisdom from the Talmud and acting against ‘the enormity of the world’s grief’ in wartime
‘Words of Life’ — blast email for a parish bible study on the 10 Commandments (also numbering and Luther’s catechism)
d r a f t https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3Xxhupj_6Q&list=PLFcbGPrXfjC0FA8pvDscNH6dnfNFbvXs3 Week 2 - Do Not Make an Image for Yourself Editor’s (admin’s) note: Lightly edited email sent to participants in a Sunday evening adult faith formation Zoom discussion that Debi and I are co-facilitating at our Lutheran church in Springfield, Illinois. It follows Words of Life: Jesus and the Promise of … Continue reading ‘Words of Life’ — blast email for a parish bible study on the 10 Commandments (also numbering and Luther’s catechism)
‘Words of Life’ — emails for first faith formation class on the 10 Commandments, held online due to the pandemic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WppMKwpXsQs&t=9s Editor's (admin's) note: Excerpts from emails sent to participants in a Sunday evening adult faith formation Zoom discussion that Debi and I are co-facilitating at our Lutheran church in Springfield, Illinois. It follows Words of Life: Jesus and the Promise of the Ten Commandments Today, a book with supplemental material by the Rev. Adam … Continue reading ‘Words of Life’ — emails for first faith formation class on the 10 Commandments, held online due to the pandemic
Link to Biblical Archaeology Society article on the 10 Commandments
Article by Shawna Dolansky, a religious studies professor at Carleton University in Canada who won a faculty award for "translating abstract biblical texts to digestible university-level content," has a very good overview (imho) of the 10 Commandments. In addition to biblicalarchaeology.org, she is a frequent contributor to thetorah.com. This article, in Bible History Today, is a … Continue reading Link to Biblical Archaeology Society article on the 10 Commandments
Paraphrase of Talmudic scholar who fled the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE hits home in another time of apocalypse
Screen grab from my Facebook news feed, Oct. 29, 2021 Here's something that's been on my mind for quite a while now. I started writing something on it when the this meme popped up in my Facebook "memories." It's a paraphrase of a saying in the Talmud by Rabbi Tarfon, a second-century Jewish sage whom … Continue reading Paraphrase of Talmudic scholar who fled the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE hits home in another time of apocalypse
Ordinary Time 