I want to begin my introductory editorial comments with the expression of much gratitude to all my predecessors, especially the most immediate, Rev. Dr. Jin Hee Han whose calm yet compelling call to me to …
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by Albrecht Classen
Hardly any other Renaissance painting has been ingrained in people’s mind as deeply as Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” (1495-1498), housed in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in …
by John W. Herbst
Feasting is fun. Human beings eagerly anticipate elaborate planned meals as an essential element of celebration. We design these events to help ourselves enjoy ourselves, spending some time pushing aside cares of …
In the Stillness
by Patty Christiena Willis
They say you speak in the stillness,
I have known that.
There are days when
all I hear is my heartbeat
and the rush of body fluids
the sound through stethoscopes like
the sound …
Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others by Barbara Brown Taylor. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2019. 238pp. $16.81
by Neal D. Presa
Famed Episcopalian priest and professor, Barbara Brown Taylor, employs her wise pen to …
21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari. New York: Spiegel and Grau, 2018. 372pp. $16.53
by Neal D. Presa
Historian Yuval Noah Harari of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has written a trilogy of …
by Darla Turlington
Bible Quotes on Feast
Hospitality and Celebrations
But he [Lot] urged them [strangers/angels] strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and …
Dear Friends,
Migration has been a frequent headline in recent days, and our writers shed light on the particular configurations of contemporary situations while reminding us of the large-scale nature of migration as a human condition …
by Shola Adegbite
In recent times all over the world, concerns around migration are rising in unprecedented ways. Fear and distrust give rise to hate speech, discrimination, violence, and unhealthy policies. Nevertheless, Ruth’s story of migration …
by Efrain Agosto
On September 20, 2017, a devastating hurricane, known as Hurricane Maria, made landfall on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, leaving behind unimaginable destruction. This just two weeks to the day after a …
by Elieser Valentin
This article takes a first step in building a Puerto Rican pastoral theology from the diaspora by extrapolating from the experiences of a predominantly Puerto Rican Baptist congregation in New York City as …
by Altagracia Pérez-Bullard
Desterrada: the word that came to mind when reflecting upon the impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria on the people and the island of Puerto Rico in the fall of 2017. Yet this …
by Damaris Whittaker
Then I said unto them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and …
Title: Fish on Fire
Artist: Piety Choi
Size: 40"x40"
Mixed Media on Wooden Panel
This painting is based on the story at the end of the gospel of John in which the risen Christ came to his disciples on the morning of his resurrection and broiled the fish for them. To the wooden panel I attached the actual pieces of burnt burlap fabric and used acryl paint to reproduce a scene of broiling. While the Johannine passage is commonly understood as the risen Christ telling the world that he has risen and has returned to provide hope as well as hope-filled nourishment, I remember that fire also has the cleansing power of the fire of the Holy Spirit. According to other gospel traditions, Peter had denied Jesus three times. Jesus’ feeding of his disciples with the fish by the sea of Tiberias, however, has no trace of condemnation. In this scene, Jesus said to Peter, “Do you love me?” Jesus then asked Peter to tend his sheep. Divine justice might call to mind fire as punishment, but I cherish the power of the Lord’s fire that cleanses our soul from the stains of sin. There I see the path to renewal and new life.
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