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June 7, 2019 A Neighbor Within (Part 2) Michael Jinkins We all know the parable. While on a journey a man falls victim to robbers who beat him, take his money, and leave him for dead. As he lies beside the road, three other men come along, one after another. The first two […]
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (Part 1) Michael Jinkins Just recently there was a fascinating article on National Public Radio about a congregation in Raleigh, North Carolina, that had found a “Center” that holds in this highly divisive time: White Memorial Presbyterian Church, a congregation of about 4000 members. As one member of […]
“Our Original Vocation” Michael Jinkins The first thing we learn in the Bible about God is that God is Creator. This seems to be God’s vocation. And one of the first things we learn about humanity is that we are gardeners. It seems that this may be our original vocation. These two vocations, creation […]
When Justice Goes Mad Michael Jinkins “A time is coming when [people] will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, ‘You are mad, you are not like us.’” St. Anthony of Egypt (c. 251-356) There’s an interesting connection, in various cultures, between anger and […]
“The Miracle in the Moment” Michael Jinkins “To treat life as less than a miracle is to give up on it. “ – Wendell Berry Perhaps the truest, purest form of thankfulness is simply not to take life for granted as we are living it. Just paying attention in the moment may be […]
“The Gift of Adversity” Michael Jinkins Several years ago a friend gave me a small marble plaque with a quote on it from Sir Winston Churchill: “When you’re going through hell, don’t stop!” While you could always count on Sir Winston to find just the right phrase to buck up the faint-hearted, it doesn’t […]
“Some Christians Give Christianity a Bad Name” Michael Jinkins Some Christians give Christianity a bad name. This is not a new thing. Skip a stone across the ripply surface of history and we are likely to hit so many shame-filled incidents starring Christians as villains that will make us cringe, blush or run […]
April 19, 2019 “The Passion Never Ends” Michael Jinkins Today is Good Friday when we observe the crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus. Today is the hinge on which turns Holy Week. Together with Maundy Thursday, Good Friday provides that point in time and remembrance when betrayal leads to arrest; when disciples, who promised […]
“Risen Life” Michael Jinkins I hope I am not alone in wondering why T. S. Eliot described April as “the cruelest month.” It was not ironic. It was not allergy-related either. From what clever literary scholars tell me (far cleverer than I), April mocks us with its new life. That’s what Eliot meant. We […]
April 5, 2019 “Fallow Ground” Michael Jinkins Steam rises from a fallow field. You may have seen it, driving through the countryside early some morning at a change of the seasons. I remember one early morning almost thirty years ago when Debbie, the kids and I drove out north of Aberdeen, Scotland, along […]