The Forward Day by Day Archives

Jesus is speaking metaphorically, and John records Jesus’s words in such a way as to give them layered meaning. Obviously, these verses speak to the sacramental rite of the eucharist, but Jesus is also claiming to be the manna that God sent....

When I was a young evangelical Christian, I memorized this verse from Paul’s letter to the Romans. As a young man, I was often more reactive than intentional, more snippy than patient, and more impulsive than reflective. Like Paul wrote in ....

A mentor once told me, “Save early; it will pay off when you retire.” He was right; saving early in one’s adult life does make a difference, sometimes a huge difference. Compound interest, or better yet, stock market compounding....

This twelve-year-old Jesus has parents—and they are upset. Rightly so. Jesus abandons them and the family caravan without permission, remaining at the temple to converse with rabbis.

SUNDAY, March 19
The Fourth Sunday in Lent

I still have a hard time saying, “You were right, I was wrong.” I sometimes think this limitation is my personal version of original sin. The Holy Spirit has tried to plane and sand this edged ego of mine into humility, and to be sure....

My family did not come over on the Mayflower, though some of them came soon afterward. My middle name is Kent, a family name that dates back to the 1600s in America. Most of my other genealogical lines in America are far shorter by comparison. Do....

My big dogs, Bones and Blue, like to hike with me. Large, enthusiastic, and of course energetic, they dart to and fro across trails hunting for squirrels and field mice. By the end of each adventure, Bones and Blue are very, very dirty, so I take....

The Lord God was tempted to leave the people, despite their mutual promises. God dreamed of fleeing to a Motel 6!

However, the pathos of God is not two-dimensional but a multiplex....

I once accepted a call to a church in the South, far away from where I had been serving in California. The new call became a challenge when rumors spread that I was trying to bring California to the southerners. California sensibilities are not t....

Jesus is hanging out in Galilee with family. His own brothers believe he is destined for greatness, so they urge him to go to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Tabernacles, in part, to gain fame. At first, Jesus resists because he believes the ....

The Hebrew children complain to Moses because they have run out of water. God has freed them from Egyptian tyranny, but apparently, they don’t trust God to supply the water. They argue with Moses, who seems frustrated with their complaints.....

The Great Rift Valley splits Africa tectonically in such a way that geologists consider the cont....

When I started seminary at Sewanee, Dean Guy Lytle suggested that we answer the question of whet....

Jesus heals the man who has been sick for thirty-eight long years. Thirty-eight years of wonderi....

I once worked for a prominent politician who would answer an audience’s questions by chuck....

Jesus speaks broadly to the nation of Israel, to the angels of heaven that might listen and to t....

When I was in my early teens, a woman came to church to offer her testimony. “I’ve b....

The Apostle Paul recognizes human fallibility, that people act in ways they’d rather not a....

The time is coming, Jesus tells the woman at the well, when worship will be by spirit and truth ....