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[pilgrimjim]

When Trump published an image of himself as Jesus, he crossed yet another line. He's generally a subject not worth our time, but this reflection on visual representations of Jesus offers some helpful context.

"They have taken away my Lord!"—The Trumpian Hijack of Jesus

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A short video of the No Kings March in Seattle captures the spirit of hope, resolve and joy which filled the streets. A brief reflection connects the march with Palm Sunday, which was the very next day.

Marching for a Better World: A "No Kings" video from Seattle

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Ilia Malinin's Olympic story was a shock. The coincidence of Olympian failure and Ash Wednesday has happened before, and I believe that the falls touch us more deeply than the triumphs, summoning us to self-compassion in the dust and ashes of our own defeats.

"Remember that you are dust" — Ash Wednesday and the Winter Olympics

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Worship provides powerful forms for resisting evil and proclaiming the good: preaching, prayer, song and story. Here are some ideas for connecting biblical narratives with our current struggles.

Stories That Save Us: Performing Scripture as an Act of Resistance

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Powerful and prophetic words from an Episcopal priest participating in the Minneapolis protests. Delivered on the day after Alex Pretti's death.

Murder in Minneapolis: "It is not okay to be silent anymore"

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The fact that the murder of an American citizen was immediately condoned by the highest levels of government—and continues to be defended, without the slightest trace of remorse, as the right thing to have done—should be a Pearl Harbor or 9/11 moment for our country. If it isn’t, if it just further normalizes our national descent into evil and madness, then God help us.

White House Brutality: The Death of Renee Nicole Good

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Two 19th-century paintings offer contrasting images of where we stand on New Year's Eve.

Meeting the World with Courage and Love on New Year's Eve

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"Let your heart be light." We sing carols because they gladden the heart and bring us together. And we sing because carols are eschatological anticipations of God’s unfolding future. They don’t put an end to our troubles, but they give us a foretaste of glory, reminding us that we belong not to what is dying, but to what is being born.

Christmas Carols: Shining Through the Gloom

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Tom Stoppard always made me think, and made me laugh. I will miss him.

"Where is the song when it's been sung?"—A Farewell to Tom Stoppard

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One doesn't make Nazi comparisons likely, but a study of the Occupation of Paris in World War II finds some chilling parallels with Trump's America.

"Not dark yet, but it's getting there" — What Can America Learn from the Nazi Occupation of Paris?

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We just lost one of the best songwriters in America, and one of the kindest souls. Here's a tribute with a sampling of his songs.

Songs That Seek Your Heart and Find It: Remembering Bob Franke

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I've managed to avoid having to preach on the Parable of the Unjust Steward. Until now. It's a hard one. I did what I could with it.

The Terrible Parable: Making Sense of the Dishonest Steward

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One of Jesus' stranger sayings leads to a reflection on this time of crisis and the endurance of the faithful.

What Jesus Said About Vultures

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In a time when Americans must learn anew to resist tyranny, what can we learn from the French Revolution?

Thinking About America on Bastille Day

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A cross around your neck is not a license to nail Jesus to the cross again and again and again.

"The Unpardonable Sin" (Poetic Shame on the "Christian" Right)

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In 1776, the fourth of July became “No Kings Day.” In my lifetime, that central meaning has been largely ceremonial and festive, but in the annus horribilis of 2025 it has become profoundly existential. A biblical story provides a warning as we continue our sleepwalk into tyranny.

No Kings? — A Biblical Parable for Independence Day

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The cross is an experience to enter, not an idea to be explained.

Love's Endeavor, Love's Expense — A Good Friday Meditation