What do we do with Pontius Pilate? On the one hand, he’s the bad guy. He represents Empire. He holds the power of life and death and reminds Jesus of that. On the other hand, Pontius Pilate pleads with Jesus to give him something to work with. Pilate may not be a nice guy but he can see that Jesus has been wrongly accused and he really seems to be trying to release him, for he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. How much Pilate cared about justice we don’t know. … [Read more...]

Last Sunday evening Minjing and I gathered with friends on Vashon Island for Passover. Passover is the story told in the first reading for today from Exodus. One of the things our Jewish hosts are able to do is ask hard questions. In the Bible stories that are read during the Passover meal those who are present are invited to ask questions about the stories, even to express doubts and concerns they have. For example, in the story of the people leaving Egypt for the Promised Land the Bible says … [Read more...]

When I was young and lost a tooth I’d put the tooth under my pillow because I was told the Tooth Fairy would take it and I’d get a coin in return. At Christmas it was said that Santa Claus would come and bring presents. This time of year, of course, it’s said that the Easter Bunny comes and hides eggs. I don’t know if I ever believed in the Tooth Fairy, or Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, but for children, this is the beginning of a whole lifetime of deciding what we do and don’t believe … [Read more...]

The TV game show Jeopardy is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Jeopardy, as you probably know, is a game in which contestants don’t answer questions; they’re given the answers first; the contestants win by successfully asking the right questions. So, for example, if Alex Trebek, the host of the show, were to say, “This West Coast U.S. city is home to the Space Needle.” The correct question would be: “What is Seattle?” Or, “This Seattle-area resident holds the record for the longest … [Read more...]

When I began discussing the possibility of baptism with the family of Zane and Seth and Tatum, we talked about timing. The usual time for baptism is Easter or the Easter season because baptism is all about death giving way to resurrection. One of my pastor friends gave me a bad time. You’re doing a baptism in Lent? Yes, we’re doing a baptism in Lent! Life has gotten complicated for the Ingersoll/Robertson/Coble clan over the past six months so yes, we have a baptism in Lent. But what a teaching … [Read more...]

Each spring our bishop invites pastors throughout our synod to a two- day conference called the Bishop’s Convocation. This year’s convocation was this past week and the focus for our gathering was three questions: Why do we need a new church? What is the new church? How do we practice being a new church? As we all know, the world has changed a lot over the past years and over the past decades. I think of our own congregation and our own stories. When people come to our church for the first … [Read more...]

So—where did you find yourself in the story? Many of you have heard this story a hundred times. What stories from your own life came to mind as you heard the parable? Maybe a few of us are honest enough to catch a glimpse of ourselves in the younger son: careless, wasteful--selfish. I’m guessing there’s at least a chance that many of us identify with the older son. The older son, after all, is hard-working, dutiful, responsible, loyal and willing to sacrifice. In other words, he represents … [Read more...]

Those of you who spend time on the Internet know about something called “urban legends.” These are stories that attract enough interest that they are forwarded to thousands, maybe even millions of people around the world. Here’s one such story: After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park [in 1989], forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. … [Read more...]

Last Sunday and the weeks leading up to it was a celebration of all that God is doing in this place. Read your annual report, review your congregation’s Facebook page and you will see a story of loaves and fishes-- blessings multiplied--and miracles great and small! You will see stories of love and hope and courage. Why do Christians do what we do? Because Christ came to save the world. We, the Body of Christ, continue his saving work for a world, providing shelter to those without, clothing … [Read more...]