The Burr in the Burbs

The English word “Easter” is the name for the Christian holiday upon which we celebrate the bodily resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, from the dead.  Critics of Christianity sometimes assert, at this time of year, that Easter is just a pagan holiday adopted by the earlier Christians. Thanks to Jeffrey Overstreet for pointing [...]

We never stop looking at the cross, but sometime you have to look beyond the cross to see the empty tomb. A couple of years ago, I took a little survey after church one Sunday asking my congregation’s opinions about the movie about the Passion of the Christ. And one person wrote this comment: [...]

Perhaps my favorite service of the liturgical year is the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday. It is a powerful bridge from the grief of Good Friday to the joy of Easter. The service begins in darkness and gradually transforms into the brilliant light of the resurrection. There are so many things going [...]