Author Archives: RevMcC
refreshment
While Deuteronomy is not specifically liturgical, the flow of the text is so poetic and ‘hymnal’ that many of the verses/phrasings have been plugged into Jewish and Christian liturgy as foundational prayers and catechism. For instance, one of the most … Continue reading
the beginning of mercy
Plugging away at Deuteronomy and stopped short at 4:31- For the Lord your God is a merciful god. He will not let you go and will not destroy you and will not forget your fathers’ covenant that He swore to them. It … Continue reading
a stumbling block
Numbers has been a stumbling block for me, and I wonder if you have had a similar experience? Yes, I cringed and yawned plenty through certain parts of Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus, but nothing has felt quite so alien (and … Continue reading
i did it! (and you can, too, i promise)
Please forgive me if I take a moment of personal privilege to publicly pat myself on the back for – finishing Leviticus! I have spent the past three hours on a lumpy couch in my local coffee shop, plodding through … Continue reading
Oh, Leviticus, what am I going to do with you?
Kudos to anyone who has ever sat down with the Book of Leviticus, intent on reading the entire thing, start to finish. Whoah! But first, an admission of my frailty- I have only just begun. I’m speeding up quickly and … Continue reading
remember that you are dust…
In our solemn celebration of Ash Wednesday, we are invited to remember our beginnings and our endings. God breathed the breath of life into the dust of the earth, and we, who once were not, BECAME. At a time beyond our knowing, … Continue reading
into the waters
The imagery of water in the Old Testament strikes me this week, as we prepare to celebrate the sacrament of Baptism in worship on Sunday. The sacrament of Baptism finds its origin in the Gospel narratives of Matthew 3:13-17, Mark … Continue reading
a flawed hero
I found this sermon from August 31, 2008. It was an experiment for me- it’s not a first person narrative, but it has the feel of first-person. The process of crafting this sermon was wonderful- spiritually and theologically, and it … Continue reading
transitions
The more time I spend with Robert Alter’s The Five Books of Moses, the more I fall in love with the clarity of his translation and the poetry of his commentary. It’s a big book, meant for your ‘reference library’ … Continue reading
foreskin’s lament and a recipe for bread
Some responses, from my new best friend, Robert Alter: Bradley, Of Exodus 4:24-26, Robert Alter says this: “This elliptic story is the most enigmatic episode in all of Exodus. It seems unlikely that we will ever resolve the enigmas it … Continue reading
gather the folks. tell the stories. 