suffering

October 22, 2023 – Romans 5:1-5

Christians can give thanks to God for many reasons! Foundational to all of them is God's saving grace in Jesus Christ. That grace is a gift to us. Not only does it offer us salvation, it also offers to us…

April 30, 2023 – 1 Peter 2:19-25

Hardship and suffering are to be avoided! The human survival instinct is a hard one to transform. Peter tells us how Jesus was able to face suffering in a transformational way. This way of suffering is a long game in…

Persecution

Persecution is attractive to claim but difficult to endure. Followers of Jesus stand in a long line of those offered their all out of love and devotion to Christ. Life is sacred. All of it. “Blessed are those who have…

October 24, 2021-Job 42:1-6, 10-17 (Pentecost 22 -Year B)

It is one thing to get answer you may not want. It is another to learn that you have been asking the wrong question. Our obsession with explaining why one person is “blessed” and another is not, reveals our own…

October 10, 2021-Job 23 (Pentecost 20-Year B)

We have a heightened sense of justice these days. Knowing what is fair and not fair are closely held virtues for every human being. Often our sense of justice is uninformed and lacks nuance. We are eager to see black…

October 3, 2021-Job 1:1, 2:1-10 (Pentecost 19-Year B)

Learning to ask the right questions is one of the hardest skills we have to learn as people. There are times when our grief, pain, and suffering overtake us and we ask, “Why me?” The Book of Job may not…

Passages Podcast Cover Art

August 29, 2021-James 1:17-27 (Pentecost 14-Year B)

The Book of James opens a new way of thinking for people in the midst of suffering, hardship, and even persecution. This week's episode explores some of these deep themes of listening and humility. For James, wisdom is the foundation…