Communities have stories. If you think about it, there really is no hard and fast distinction between the story of me and the story of us. Every individual’s story contains numerous...

When was the last time you experienced awe or wide-eyed wonder? When have words escaped your ability to give expression to beauty? Or grief? In these moments we get a glimpse...

To an unknown god. The inscription on the altar might seem to be an example of people hedging their bet just in case they have missed something. If that is the...

When someone misrepresents me, I feel hot rage. I suspect you do too, but often we’re powerless to defend ourselves publicly. When David was slandered, which is the context for Psalm...

As Peter’s letter reveals, the early church was small and characterized by deep, communal, organic spiritual growth. The first metaphor he uses is shows the members as infants craving spiritual milk....

The early church was a collection of rejects. It first appears that Peter was addressing diaspora Jews scattered across modern-day Turkey (see 1 Peter 1:1). However, many interpreters argue that his...

If the first verses of John 14 are about going, the next part is about knowing. We may miss how shocking it is that Jesus asserts that the disciples have seen...

The disciples certainly have reasons to be troubled. What starts as a celebratory meal is ruined by Jesus’ predictions of betrayal by Judas and denial by Peter. Similarly, Jesus is troubled...

When the early church witnessed Stephen’s death, they must have been struck not only by the injustice but the lost opportunity. Stephen was a persuasive and holy man who could have...

We are so accustomed to Stephen’s serene posture in death that it’s easy to forget the fiery speech that got him martyred. Stephen shocked the Sanhedrin by identifying his hearers as...