Sitting in a Good Friday service at the cathedral, I’m trying to hold it together. Rejected in a relationship. Uncertain about my job. Lost.Read more…
Fifth Sunday of Lent: Jesus Speaks to His Mother and the Disciple
Looking on the scene of the crucifixion is painful. Roman guards drive nails through Jesus’ flesh and his body writhes in pain. You hold your breath while they raise the cross with Jesus pinned to it.Read more…
Fourth Sunday of Lent: Jesus is Helped by Simon the Cyrenian to Carry the Cross
After being flogged, Jesus starts his final journey to the crucifixion site. Imagine being in the crowds watching on the side of the road as he comes stumbling along the way, barely able to walk, let alone carry the weight of the cross. Read more…
Third Sunday of Lent: Jesus is Judged by Pilate
Friends, religious authorities, and now politicians are part of the community that abandons Jesus. Along the path we are now out of the garden and in front of the Roman governor’s residence, a structure whose architecture conveys great power and wealth. Watching from the outside, we wonder if we should even be here.Read more…
Second Sunday of Lent: Jesus, Betrayed by Judas, is Arrested
Along the path we are walking, we haven’t gone very far. Perhaps just a few steps as Jesus walks over a final time to where the disciples are sleeping. Though the location may be the same as where we left off last week, it also seems miles away. Read more…
First Sunday of Lent: Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
Over the six weeks of Lent, I invite you to journey along the road Jesus took to the cross. We’ll be stopping at six of the stations on which Christians have reflected over the centuries to remember what happened along the path from Gethsemane to Calvary.Read more…
Pilgrimage: Life of a Pilgrim on Campus (Scholar’s Compass)
As we near the end of this series of devotions on pilgrimage, let’s return to where we began, on that highway to Jerusalem in Psalm 84. On that highway travelers have their hearts set on arriving in Jerusalem and worshipping in God’s holy temple. With their focus set on this story, the path they walk becomes one of refreshing springs even in the desert. When we encounter Paul in Athens, he is also following a story, a story that begins on a road to Damascus. Read more…
Pilgrimage: Communitas in the Academy (Scholar’s Compass)
As we muddle our way through liminal spaces on the path to a sacred center, especially with others who also see themselves on pilgrimage, not only do we change, but so do our relationships. A unique community arises that focuses on reaching that goal more than remaining within the usual boundaries and edges of social interactions. The lure of such a community often draws people to the academy.Read more…
Pilgrimage: Liminality in the Academy (Scholar’s Compass)
On a journey to a sacred center, pilgrims often leave behind known and familiar lives to step into an unfamiliar time and place. Even if they have a good image of their destination, they cannot predict what will occur along the way. In this respect, pilgrimage is essentially a time of liminality.Read more…
Pilgrimage: Sacred Center of the Academy (Scholar’s Compass)
Towards what story are you traveling? That’s the big question of any pilgrimage. When going to Jerusalem or Santiago de Compostela the story seems clear. Pilgrims long to walk in the footsteps of Jesus or stand at the tomb of St. James, following the paths that millions have taken before to come closer to God. For centuries these and many other pilgrimage centers have held the promise of miracles because heaven and earth have met there before – the transcendent God became immanent. However, as Paul reminded the Ephesians it is not necessary to travel to a specific location for the transcendent to become immanent. Read more…
Pilgrimage: Journey to a Story Series (Scholar’s Compass)
What is it to have your heart set on pilgrimage? On one level Psalm 84 speaks specifically of traveling the highway to the temple in Jerusalem, God’s dwelling place, the courts of the Lord. However, the psalmist also reflects on the posture of the pilgrim along this path – the yearning for and the single-minded focus on God no matter what the circumstances. God, the focus of this posture, makes even the most dry lands a place of springs. In the 21st century, two millienia after Jesus himself declared he will be with us always and has sent his Spirit to the ends of the earth, such passages can seem irrelevant. But should we be so quick to forget this practice?Read more…
Ruth: Advocating God’s Mercy (Scholar’s Compass)
God has not stopped working through the story of these individuals within his mercy. Neither has God stopped working through the myriad of other stories of mercy. We are called to continue in this path within our own lives – sharing God’s mercy in partnership with others. Often the presence of an advocate can make all the difference – whether someone is playing that role for us or we are doing so for another.Read more…
Risk on the Threshing Floor (Scholar’s Compass)
In Ruth’s journey in this new land, she moves from a place of blessing to a place of risk. She has seen God’s blessing in the fields as her mother-in-law’s relative, Boaz, provides her protection and an abundance of grain. It would have been easy to rest in this provision and create a comfortable home with Naomi. But she is called to do more . . .Read more…
In the Fields of Blessing (Scholar’s Compass)
What might it look like to leave remnants in our work for others? There are definitely many opportunities for students and colleagues to collaborate or even to pass along a sought after task to another. Simply sharing ideas and resources is another way to provide items for others to glean.Read more…
Ruth: An Unexpected Story (Scholar’s Compass)
However, at the same time, maybe only a week into a new program, our expectations for the story we thought we were entering often come crashing down. The students we expected to engage with in weekly face-to-face conversations have become remote avatars from around the world. The academic politics, the reluctance of others to share their research, and the generally inhospitable atmosphere of our departments are a struggle. Read more…
Ruth: Stopped Along the Way (Scholar’s Compass)
On our way. Once we’ve made a difficult decision to begin a graduate program or take on a new job, we like to think that we are on our way. There may be a few challenges following that initial decision, but the general path is before us. We just have to follow it.Read more…