Like most Lutheran clergy, a large part of my first semester of seminary was spent learning biblical Greek. Two weeks before the semester started, my classmates and I reported for Summer Greek, spending eight hours a day every day for two weeks learning conjugations and declensions. The coursework in Greek continued through the rest of … Continue reading
Author Archives: rbierien
Depression, Suicide and Wisdom in the Digital Age
I’m really not sure what to do with all of the social media commentary around Robin Williams’ death. The frenzy was as fast and furious as it was predictable; I saw the first social media post using Mr. Williams’ death make points about mental illness and suicide within two hours of seeing the news that … Continue reading
No Strings Attached
I really try not to engage in theological deconstructionism on this blog. That is, I try not to do things like “Ten Things the Church Needs to Stop Doing” or picking apart the theological positions or ministerial practices of others. For one thing, I just don’t find that kind of thing very interesting. For another … Continue reading
Giving Up Sarcasm
Last Wednesday, there was a conversation in our house that went something like this: Me: Man, this giving up sarcasm for Lent thing is going to be harder than I thought. Gretchen: What?! You’re not doing that! Me: Well, I’m going to try. Gretchen: How are you going to talk? Like I said, it may … Continue reading
Dusty, Broken, Precious
I never quite know who it’s going to be, but I always know it’s going to happen. Every year on Ash Wednesday, I mark the sign of the cross on people’s foreheads with the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” And every year, one of those people sticks in … Continue reading
Copping Out vs. Doubling Down
There is an old story about a young man who would every day open his Bible looking for direct, personal communication from God. He would close his eyes, let the Bible fall open at random, put his finger down on the page, and then read whatever was at the tip of his finger as a … Continue reading
George, Irma and Jesus
Something pretty remarkable happened during worship yesterday in one of the congregations I’m blessed to serve. The congregation gathered for worship, sang hymns, and heard scripture read. After reading the Gospel lesson from the Sermon on the Mount, I stood up to preach. Very shortly after the beginning of the sermon, though, we all realized … Continue reading
The Forgiveness Quandary
One of the simplest, yet most profound, truths I have encountered in life is that “hurting people hurt people.” When we’ve been deeply hurt, we have a tendency to lash out, to want to exact retribution and revenge, to make the person who hurt us hurt as much as we do. We tend to believe … Continue reading
The Sacred Story
On Friday, February 7th, the world of biblical studies lost a giant. Father Daniel J. Harrington, SJ, died at the Jesuit infirmary of the New England Province of the Society of Jesus, in Weston, Massachusetts. Father Harrington was a biblical scholar of international renown, and to mark his passing, America magazine has published a link … Continue reading
Who Are You?
The fire danced and flickered, throwing dancing shadows on the wall of the cave. Outside, the cold drizzle continued to fall through the gathering darkness, soaking the already sodden countryside. A damp chill seeped into the cave, promising ice before morning, but inside, next to the fire, there was a small, fragile bubble of warmth. … Continue reading
Stir 