Messiah News

The human brain is an amazing machine. Our eyes receive images, our ears sounds, our skin touch. Then, all of this input runs along highways called nerves. It flies from synapse to synapse and is compared to other information in vast, organic data banks. All of this happens with the goal of answering just one question....

This Sunday's gospel is part of the "farewell discourse," where Jesus is saying goodbye to his disciples and assuring them that he'll continue to be with them. Poet Nayyirah Waheed, in her collection salt has a wonderful short poem on difficult goodbyes that might speak to the situation and mood in our gospel reading for the 6th Sunday of Easter. i...

Okay, Cleopas and his friend weren't ambushed. But, deep in grief over the death of Jesus (and possible theft of his body) as these two men walk home from Jerusalem to Emmaus they totally don't recognize the stranger that joins them. And, Jesus isn't volunteering any clarity about who he is. I guess he knows they'll figure it out whe...

On the second Sunday of Easter we always turn to the one who is often called "Doubting Thomas." He is the one who misses out on the first meeting with Jesus behind the locked doors that keep them safe from the world. The others are thrilled with having seen the risen Lord and Thomas expresses his need to see for himself. He wants his own experience...

Palm/Passion Sunday First it is a parade, then it is a perp walk. One minute the crowd shouts, "Hosanna!"  Not too much later, the tide is turned and people are shouting, "Crucify him!" Today, we encounter the paradox that defines our faith: Jesus Christ is glorified king and humiliated servant. We too are full of paradox: like Peter, we ferve...