Tomorrow culminates the Great Fifty Days of Easter, or Eastertide as I have called this very special time in the annual life of a liturgical Christian church. To luxuriate in the light from the Empty Tomb. To see Jesus astonish, rehabilitate, challenge, reveal, confirm and open. To watch those cowering
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It’s sadly, finally time to bid my 4th century Spanish nun/adventure traveler/pilgrim Egeria a fond, bittersweet farewell. It seems only right to hear her one more time now, as the recovered portion of her travel journal abruptly terminates just after her riveting narration of Pentecost in Jerusalem. Egeria herself, much
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Newbie from Cordie writes, “Dear Chump, you have provided questions or thoughts to ponder which have been great. Could you dig deeper into Christian meditations and ask readers to share what they receive from it? It might be kind of neat to hear what God is saying to your flock?”
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It’s time for your questions dear readers! Can you stump the ordained chump?! East Vail Doctor writes, “Dear Chump, Can you explain the Gospel of John’s term ‘glorification?’” Dear Doc, The word Glory or its derivations appear some 300 times in the Bible, over 22 references in John’s Gospel alone.
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The evangelist Luke tells us in Acts chapter 1 that following Jesus’ Ascension His (sorry cannot help it) followers took care of some housekeeping details, something akin to spring cleaning. Read Acts 1:15-26 to see how they did it. With Judas Iscariot dead by his own hand, the Eleven were
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Today seems like the proper moment to look back before we look forward. The 10 days between the Feasts of the Ascension and Pentecost frequently feel like that liminal space, a long exhale from the (liturgical at least) rigors of the salvific march we began way back in late November
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A popular Saturday Night Live skit from the late 1980’s spoofed the body-building movement headed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. For a brief refresher see here. Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon’s memorable Hans and Franz are a perfect introduction to today’s Reflection because God is here…to PUMP…us up! Waaay up as it
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Well now Paul had his peaks and his troughs didn’t he? Yesterday, a trough. Today, a peak! His intense experience of resurrection living gave Paul the clarity to pen this beloved scripture, again from Romans: Who will separate us from the love of God?!…No, in all these things we are
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Sorry. There is no other suitable title for this unsuitable subject. Ask a military veteran for translation, or perhaps not. Yes, Paul knew this encoded message of astonished confusion very well even though he used slightly (but not much) differing language. So we have died and now have been resurrected
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Ascension Happens! Breaking Reflection News!! Has anyone been tracking 40 days beginning Easter Day, April 12th?! Just as Luke narrates it, Happy Ascension Day dear readers! Geeky Episcopalians call today one of the Red Letter Feasts, because in the earliest English Prayer Books they printed the primary festivals of the
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