Category: Theological Rant
Hello. I’ll be your server.
I was recently gifted the trust of the pulpit at First Christian Church in Perry, Oklahoma. This is a mildly edited version of my words base on Mark 10:35-45. Scripture then sermon to follow.
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’ And he said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ They replied, ‘We are able.’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.’
When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, ‘You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’
Siblings in faith, it is good to gather for worship, study, and fellowship. Today’s text reminds disciples that to follow Jesus means not to be served but to serve. That seems like an easy thing to do, especially when tragedy or crisis comes. Around these parts we call it the Oklahoma standard. It’s a response to something, an event that is out of the ordinary. But what about ordinary time?
I’m grateful for your congregation’s witness of the good news of God and the way you serve one another, Perry, this county, and beyond your borders. You set an example, and so does your pastor, Joshua, about what servant leadership means for your community of faith. Thank you for giving Joshua’s time and gifts to our neighbors in Tampa Bay through the work and service of the Red Cross.
The Week of Compassion staff continues to respond in Florida, Georgia, S. Carolina, and western North Carolina with checks to help disciples with immediate basic needs and insurance deductibles. They are working with partners like Church World Service with funding for clean-up buckets. Because Week of Compassion is there, Oklahoma Disciples are there just like we were in Sulphur and Morris earlier this year.
This is one characteristic of our little frontier movement: gather people, organize, respond, and bless them to return to life, even if they call the Holy by a different name, practice another religious tradition, have no religion, or are not interested in religion. That’s what it means to share the good news of God from our doorsteps into the world. Presence can transform cloudy moments and create a chance of good news.
Thank you for gifting me the trust of the pulpit today. If you are visiting today, come back and get involved in this congregation’s practice and proclamation of the good news of God as they follow Jesus taking steps with great care and great tact.
As we worship let us be a witness of the good news of God, and remember:
that the Lord’s mercies never cease;
that the Lord’s mercies are new every morning;
and the Lord’s faithfulness extends beyond our ability to see in a mirror dimly and recognize the image of God in others and our own face.
A creative writing professor encouraged our class to tell a story with the necessary words, the fewer, the better, in such a way that enables the reader or hearer to wonder, ponder, and imagine without needing lots of granular details. Trust the reader or hearer to do the work with you. Their mind may wander off, but a compelling story encourages imagination and questions. Maybe that’s why Mark is my favorite gospel. This short story about the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth has nuance, intrigue, and suspense. The author states the thesis in the opening line, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” And, like some sermons you might have heard in your lifetime, Mark has two endings: the original, which I prefer, and the P.S. or addendum of Mark 16:9-20.
This morning, I will do my best to be like Mark, brief, and stick to my original ending.
Scholars agree that Mark is the first of the gospels in written form, but it is not the first book in the New Testament as we have it. In his book Evolution of the Word: The New Testament in the Order the Books Were Written, Dr. Marcus Borg reminds us that the first written accounts about Jesus and his effect on people were the letters of Paul. Those letters begin to appear about 50 years into the common era. Dr. Borg’s ordering of the documents of the New Testament starts with 1 Thessalonians and ends with 2 Peter. The gospels didn’t begin to appear until around 70 CE. There must have been enough questions about Jesus’ backstory that people needed a prequel, and they got four. All have similar plot lines and the same basic ending, but we meet different characters along the way, and we are confronted with other contexts and theological and political perspectives about this peasant from Galilee, Jesus of Nazareth.
Mainline scholars, including folks like Dr. Borg, help us think about how the Gospel of Mark outlines Jesus’ life in three movements:
Borg, Marcus J. Evolution of the Word: The New Testament in the Order the Books Were Written. Harper One (New York) 2012. p 149-50.
- Galilee, where most of Jesus’ public ministry happens
- Journey from Galilee to Jerusalem for Passover
- Jerusalem and Jesus’ final week, including his confrontation with authorities, execution, and the discovery of the empty tomb.
Enter the story today near the end of the journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. Along the way, Jesus talks about what may or will probably happen to him when they arrive in Jerusalem. That means the 12 and other disciples of Jesus will have some choices. The journey began with Jesus healing a blind man. It took two attempts. Next week, as Jesus prepares to enter Jerusalem, he pauses to heal another blind person. This time, it only takes once.
I think this is a subtle message of this journey to Jerusalem or my journey with Jesus; maybe yours, too. I won’t often or always get it right the first time. This isn’t the first time the disciples have argued about who is the greatest among them. Jesus was disappointed then, just as he is now, when James and John ask about seats of honor at his right and left. This is the second time Jesus has reminded the disciples about being last and first. In his words from the text today, “. . . whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Mic drop!
They got served.
With this new knowledge, who is ready to drink from that cup or receive that baptism?
I can imagine the silence. If we were in post-production of a movie this is where we would insert the sound of crickets.
Anyone? Anyone? Anyone?
Servant. Slave. Served. Serve. Ransom. Those are weighty words. Those are loaded words that bring up images from the past and present. Some definitions from Merriam-Webster may help.
Servant (def): one that performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer.
Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. “servant,” accessed October 17, 2024, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/servant.
What images come to mind? You might think of Downton Abbey, another historical time, or the super wealthy as having servants.
You might think of “public servants.” I think of the poll workers and the lady who helped me register my car at the Tag Agency. I think of the security guards at the Capitol, the subway booth attendant, first responders, and the local law enforcement officer reminding me to slow down by flashing their lights rather than pulling me over.
I think of words like Butler or Steward.
Slave (def): noun/verb
– someone captured, sold, or born into chattel slavery.
Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. “slave,” accessed October 17, 2024, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slave.
⁃ someone (such as a factory worker or domestic laborer) who is coerced often under threat of violence to work for little or no pay.
– someone or something that is completely subservient to a dominating person or influence.
– to work very hard for long hours or under difficult conditions.
Images flash before my mind’s eye from biblical stories, the American Civil War, and the Holocaust.
But also coal miners. As the family story tells it, my mother’s parents met picking cotton for a quarter a bag a day.
I think of workers picking fruit and vegetables that some say are “taking American jobs,” but the last time I went to an employment agency or checked Indeed or Linkedin, those were not on the openings list.
I look at my phone or clothing and realize that people, many of whom are probably children, in other parts of the world work for little pay so I can have this technology, these clothes, and other stuff as cheaply as possible while corporations make a significant profit. I rationalize that they have a better job than what might be available in their country.
Served (verb) of serve.
Serve (def): intransitive or transitive verbMerriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. “serve,” accessed October 17, 2024, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serve.
- to do military service
- to be of use
- to help persons to food, to wait at table or set out portions of food or drink
- to act as server at (mass or other religious service)
- to work through (a term of service)
We thank veterans for “their service.”
I hear the cabin steward on the cruise ship remind me, “I’m at your service.”
I think of the Lion’s Club, Rotary, The Shriners, Welcome Wagon, The Moose Lodge, or service-oriented social clubs that help people from diverse backgrounds mingle and work for the good in their community.
We’ve probably all heard it at one time: “Hello. I’ll be your server.”
Deacon and elders serve this congregation.
Paying rent, a mortgage, or a loan is working through a term of service.
The Greek word lytron is translated as “ransom,” comes from the root lou which means:
“something to loosen with.”
Strong’s Number 3089 Greek Dictionary (Lexicon-Concordance) http://lexiconcordance.com/greek//3089.html
Ransom in our language means:
(noun/verb)
Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. “ransom,” accessed October 17, 2024, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ransom.
- a consideration paid or demanded for the release of someone or something from captivity.
- to free from captivity or punishment by paying a price
There are so many NCIS, CSI, FBI, and lawyer shows to consume that you might think of “making bail or posting a bond.”
Have you ever watched one of those pawn shop reality shows or been in a Pawn Shop? The items there with a loan against them have helped someone get from one paycheck to the next. The things you can buy could not be recovered by their owners or were sold outright.
When I was a student at TCU, after four parking tickets, it seemed like the campus police would tow your car anytime they wanted, even when you were parked legally, but just outside the line or a bumper width in a no-parking zone. I was gone five minutes. FYI, don’t refer to the ticket or parking boot as a ransom. That doesn’t go over well.
Ransom. I think of the Disciples congregation here in Oklahoma, which received a donation from an estate and used it to buy the medical debt of strangers and forgive it for many.
Bob Dylan was on to something when he sang:
You’re still gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
Bob Dylan, Slow Train Coming. “Gotta Serve Somebody.” Columbia Records, 1979.
You’re going to have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re going to have to serve somebody.
The first time I heard the term “servant leadership” was in June 1981, when I was elected to the Coastal Plains Area Youth Council at church camp. My mentors then and still today, set this example for a life of ministry and faith.
Servant leadership prioritizes the growth and well-being of people and communities over oneself and emphasizes putting others’ needs first. This approach encourages team members to produce high-quality work, which ultimately contributes to the company’s overall success.
Career Guide, indeed.com.
Robert K. Greenleaf, an early promoter of this leadership philosophy, notes that a servant leader should focus on,
Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?
Greenleaf, Robert (2007). The Servant as Leader. Corporate Ethics and Corporate Governance. pp. 79–85.
I think that’s the invitation in today’s text. Join Jesus in becoming servant leaders. That’s hard in our culture. It’s probably always been a challenging invitation to accept. Practicing the faith of Jesus sharpens one’s focus on the humanity of being served and serving in the here and now. But, it is hard. It is messy. We make mistakes. When it challenges the acceptable order, it can be life-threatening. Maybe that’s why Christian tradition made Jesus the object of faith, himself the very mystery of the gospel, rather than an example of faith. James, John, and the other ten didn’t grasp that they had heard or witnessed what “serving” meant the first or second time. They focused on worldly power and glory. Empires and kingdoms.
Disciples, remember that God’s grace, forgiveness, and peace are not abstract concepts. God’s grace, forgiveness, and peace are present in this world through your faith and actions as followers of Jesus. Your individual and collective efforts as a congregation have the power to transform the world around you, even if it is just for a moment, and a moment might be, can be enough.
It’s your work and service in this community.
It’s the way you serve your neighbors.
It’s the way you serve one another.
Sometimes, you can sense it.
Sometimes, you can see it.
Usually, you don’t know how kindness, a supportive word, or an action, small or large, can alter the trajectory of a person’s day, week, or life. You may have been a ransom. And it may take a while to know how that moment affected you.
Hello. I’ll be your server. I wonder if you will bump into Jesus in the week ahead?
May God continue to bless you with ministry to do and gospel to be.
Greeting Distant Promises
I was gifted the trust of the pulpit at a congregation that is beginning a search for a minister. It is a common practice for a person in my position to preach for a congregation soon after a Sr. Minister (lead minister or preaching minister) departs. I chose to dig around one of the Lectionary readings for the day instead of words from Romans 12 that I’ve used in the past. I think a sermon from a Regional Minister or Associate Regional Minister, my denomination’s term for middle judicatory personnel, a sermon in these moments should contain: encouragement, an invitation to reflection as a community of faith and individually, and reassure that the skills, experience, and faithfulness needed for the search process exist within the congregation. And, it should dig in the biblical text.
The scripture text for the sermon is Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16.
Looking around the room, I opened the orientation to the Search process with these words, “Let me say it for you, ‘What’s next?’”
What’s next? It’s the backstory that determines the tone.
Excitement! Like kids at Christmas or people that love amusement parks anticipating the next ride. “What’s next?!”
Frustration. Like getting a flat tire for the second time in a month or maybe co-workers aren’t doing the job well or right and you are picking up the slack, but not being recognized. “What’s next?”
Exhaustion. You’ve heard of the rule of three? It’s late and the phone rings about another family member, friend, or co-worker. Or maybe it’s the voices of nurses or doctors during the pandemic. “What’s next?”
Apathy or ambivalence. It’s that irritating tone of a twelve year old, from a teen or someone who is actually an adult. “Whatever . . . what’s next?”
Every morning I get an email from my favorite marketing guru, Seth Godin. It is pithy thoughts of varied length that help kickstart my day. The July 30th email was called,
“Strength through resilience.” It said:
Strength through resilience
Brittle systems are weak. Short-term wins feel like a demonstration of will by those that seek to be strong.But the only run is the long run.
When we embrace flexible, renewable and diverse approaches, we create actual progress.
Seth Godin, July 30, 2022. https://seths.blog/2022/07/strength-through-resilience/
My father worked in the wholesale pharmaceutical business his entire professional life. He worked for three companies. Beginning as a warehouse worker stocking products and pulling orders. When given the opportunity he took a field sales position, and then sales manager, and then division manager with oversight for all the aspects of the business from the warehouse, sales, and accounting.
When one company was nearing its lifecycle he moved to another, then another as capitalism did what it does: bankruptcy, hostile takeovers, regional family businesses sells to a larger company, and then after some time the buyouts or “early retirements” euphemism begin for longtime essential employees that help the transition, but are too expensive to keep. In the tough moments of growing up my father would remind my sister and I, “You’ve got to have the RMA, the right mental attitude.” That came from a sales class, no doubt, but it was a good way to redirect and reframe a situation. He would add, “You’ve got to do the work to the best of your ability. Have the RMA and do the work to the best of your ability then, no matter the outcome there will be something you can be proud of, or learn, that you could apply the next situation.”
As the search for another minister begins, the power of positive thinking could be helpful. You will hear someone suggest that, “You’ve got to take it on faith.” You will need conviction or assurance. And, you will need patience with one another, with yourself, and with God. Buried in the reading from Hebrews today, we are reminded that belief and faith are about greeting distant promises. Of all the hard things in life right now, that maybe the hardest thing for a culture built on have it your way, have it all, and have it right now.
I bear the greetings, prayers, and gratitude of your siblings in faith all around the Region. Thank you for being a voice of gospel from this corner. If you are visiting today you will notice that this congregation is beginning to search for a minister:
A person who will connect this congregation to its local story;
A person who will connect this congregation to its Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) story, and the ecumenical story of Christendom locally and broadly;
A person who, though their ministerial leadership as preacher, teacher, prophet, and pastor will help this congregation greet the distant promises of its mission and witness as followers of Jesus. No pressure.
Friends, members, and visitors alike, don’t give in to consumer culture. Don’t just consume worship, bible study, mission opportunities, or congregational life. Get involved in this congregation’s witness of the good news of God and remember:
that the Lord’s mercies never cease;
that the Lord’s mercies are new every morning;
and the Lord’s faithfulness extends beyond our ability to see in a mirror dimly, or recognize the image of God in others as well as in our own face.
As you are willing and your spirit able, please join me in prayer:
Open our ears and our hearts, O God, that our meditations, words, and living are a reflection of our faith in You, who creates, who redeems, and who sustains creation and our lives. Amen.
Buckle up church. Here we go.
There are several ideas in the text today that are worthy sermon material or further study in Sunday school or a small group setting.
We could explore conviction or assurance as individual ideas or as an equation that, when worked well, leads to faith.
We could explore how Hebrews, and the Gospels, specifically Matthew, have been used as a crutch for Christian supersessionism. In its simplest form, this is the idea that Christians have become the chosen people of God succeeding the Jewish community because of Jesus. This kind of theology is subtly laid in the foundations of Christendom. Its tamest form shows up in pity, prayers, covert discrimination, and evangelizing Jews and non-Christians with the treats of hell. Its loudest form produces overt antisemitism, Christian dominionism, Christian nationalism, violence, and death. It can be argued that slavery is the original sin of these United States and at its core is a doctrine of discovery(1) fueled by Christian supersessionism. It’s thinking that the world is your oyster even if you have to steal it in the name of God.
We could ponder the significance of the other way to translate verse 11. We heard, “By faith he (Abraham) received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because Abraham considered the Lord faithful who had promised.” That verse can also be translated:
“By faith Abraham received power of procreation, even though he was too old. By faith, Sarah herself though barren, received power to conceive, even when she was too old, because she considered the Lord faithful who had promised.” That changes the object of verse 12.
“Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, ‘as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.’”
Hebrews 11:12 (NRSV)
Is the choice to remember Abraham over Sarah the author being consistent with the other males named in the text or is it something else, an authoritarian patriarchy that remains embedded in our culture even today?
Indeed, in good faith we could ponder what the rhythmic creedal cadence of “by faith” meant in ancient times, in the history of Christianity, and today in our lives.
Any of those ideas are worthy of our attention. To approach the text today, it is important to remember that the writer of Hebrews is using metaphorical language to describe the life of Jesus and his passion for God. The biblical scholar Marcus Borg and a small majority of New Testament scholars place the writing of Hebrews about the same time as the Gospel of Matthew, somewhere between 80 and 90 CE. These are second generation communities of Jews, Gentiles, and what Borg calls, “God-lovers,” people who knew the Jewish bible well, but were not necessarily Jewish. He goes on to urge modern readers not to “literalize the metaphorical language.”(2) So, when we read the texts, we need to remember there were power struggles, theological, economic, and political struggles, when these texts were written, just as there are today.
A thousand years after Jesus, St. Anselm transformed Jesus’ passion for God and the way he lived that passion into what became known as substitutionary atonement. A theological passion of Christ. A doctrinal formula for faith. But, Dr. David Lose reminds, “Faith, invites us to embrace mystery rather than merely solve a puzzle.”(3)
Rather than seeking to have faith and trust in God, as Jesus did, much of Christianity has placed its faith in Jesus and stopped following him most of the time.
Where does Jesus lead? Probably, more ministry like the Welcome Table. (feeding people)
Probably, more ministry providing shoes, clothing, and housing to neighbors needing a hand up.
Probably, church that looks more like intergenerational VBS rather than a social club.
Probably, places that require risk.
The Most Reverend Michael Curry is the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in America. You probably know the name because he officiated the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan. In a sermon back in 2013 he said:
In one sense it’s pretty easy to worship Jesus on Sunday, but it is something else to follow Jesus out there in that world on Monday. It’s easy to be a member of a church in America. All you basically have to do is show up. Woodie Allen said, “Half of life is just showing up.” In America you can be a member of a church by just showing up, filling out the membership card, answering an altar call, visiting the pastor, new member committee. It’s not complicated. But discipleship in community is a much more difficult and demanding proposition. Discipleship is about following Jesus, by living his teachings, what he actually taught, and by living in the Spirit of his very life. And that’s not easy.
The Most Rev. Michael Curry, “Keep the Faith.” August 18, 2013, Day1.org
To parse out good news of God in the text today we need to do a bit of work with it, but mostly we need to work on ourselves. What are we bringing to the text from our life experience that hinders or enlightens our discipleship following Jesus? That is the hard part for each one of us, for our social systems, and our congregational system. To work on ourselves first and have faith that others are doing the same with integrity.
This is particularly significant during the interim time when a congregation is seeking another minister. It doesn’t matter why a minister leaves. It creates anxiety, grief, and questions. If you’ve been around this congregation a while you know the last decade has had its share of grief, some conflict, and important ministry serving the community and the congregation’s members. You’ve had to work on yourself as a community of faith. There is some basic maintenance to intentional Christian community that can make the hard times more tolerable, but it can’t keep hard times from coming. That kind of maintenance is always happening, but we are only aware of it in the hard times.
Ultimately, that is what the author of Hebrews is encouraging the readers of their time and ours to do. Work on yourself as a follower of Jesus. Realize that you are seeing in a mirror dimly. The opening words in chapter 12, will crescendo with the great cloud of witnesses that set the example. And chapter 13, is a melody of what life in Christian community looks like day to day. That life extends beyond Christian community, but it doesn’t impose it on the culture. It models life in the already, but not yet, kindom of God, but it does’t build an empire.
The 20th century preacher Harry Emerson Fosdick once said, “The world has two ways of getting rid of Jesus. The first is by crucifying him; the second is by worshiping him without following him.”(4)
In ancient times is was a common practice to deify political and religious leaders. That was true of ancient Roman culture, and even today in the 21st century we humans still have a tendency of hero worship and history worship. Nostalgia can be an addictive drug. The rock-n-roll legend, Billy Joel, says it like this:
You can get just so much from a good thing
Billy Joel, “Keeping the Faith” An Innocent Man 1983.
You can linger too long in your dreams
Say goodbye to the oldies but goodies
‘Cause the good ole days weren’t always good
And tomorrow ain’t as bad as it seems
I’m keeping the faith.
There is a film about three neighborhood kids, two boys and a girl, spend their time growing up until the girl moves away. Now in adulthood, the two boys, one a priest and the other a rabbi, have stayed connected and meet up with their long lost friend who is moving back to New York. She is some kind of corporate executive. Their friendship rekindles, but there are professional and personal struggles along the way. It is a story about relationships and the trust, honesty, and effort it takes to hold them together personally, professionally, and in congregational life. In the end they are “Keeping the Faith” in one another.(5)
Had we read the portion of Hebrews that was left out today, vv 4-7, we would have heard a kind of “hall of fame” of faithful stories of men, and following today’s reading beginning at v 23, the author offers their understanding of the faith of Moses. The chapter closes with a list of characters who have been remembered, some better than others, for their faith in God. It is important to note that a close reading of their stories are not always an example of what to do. Rather, the stories of Abraham and Issac, and Jephthah and his daughter, are cautionary tales about the extent to which people will go to put their ideas, or their communities’ ideas, of righteousness or faithfulness or salvation on God. We can hear the Holy One ask, “What kind of god do you think I am?” For more on this, invite my companion, the Hebrew bible scholar, to teach Sunday school for a few weeks.
Outside the fellowship hall there are images of ministers that have led this congregation. Their stories and leadership, like those whose images are not there, were not perfect. Few among us this morning remember all the stories, but we are recipients of their faithfulness. They are a reminder of what is possible. They are a reminder that a community of faith is more than one person, Sunday school class, or board vote. Like the faithful hall of fame in Hebrews this morning, we can imagine those persons had a trust in God that guided their journey in faith. They nurtured this congregation and served by greeting distant promises that they would not witness nor share in. Are we capable of doing the same?
And it wasn’t just them. Since the founding of this congregation in 1893, there have been laity, deacons, and elders that have given of themselves so that the next generation who gather for worship and witness of the good news of God would have a foundation upon which they could remodel, when necessary, what it means to be a follower of Jesus and a disciple of Christ. Are we capable of doing the same?
In his book, The Magnificent Defeat, Frederick Buechner wrote:
Faith is the word that describes the direction our feet start moving when we find that we are loved. Faith is stepping out into the unknown with nothing to guide us but a hand just beyond our grasp.
Frederick Buechner, The Magnificent Defeat, “Follow Me.” Seabury Press (New York) 1966.
Look around you this morning. There are hands to grasp. There are hands and spirits and lives ready to greet distant promises. You’ve heard me say this before. There is ministry to do and gospel to be in Enid that only you can do and only you can be. May God continue to bless your journey keeping the faith.
Notes
- For a simple explanation and links to further reading:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_doctrine
- Marcus Borg, Evolution of the Word: The New Testament in the Order the Books Were Written. Harper Collins (New York) 2012 p. 277-282.
- Dr. David Lose: Adam, Eve & the Bible. day1.org, August 18, 2011 https://day1.org/articles/5d9b820ef71918cdf2002ee1/dr_david_lose_adam_eve__the_bible
- The Most Rev. Michael Curry, “Keep the Faith.” August 18, 2013, Day1.org