Dr. Will’s Reflections
Browse tags
- Acts (1)
- belonging (1)
- Church (1)
- Current Events (1)
- Death (1)
- Distractions (1)
- Faith (1)
- First Responders (2)
- Forgiveness (2)
- Giving Thanks (1)
- Good Shepherd (1)
- Gospel of Matthew (1)
- Holidays (1)
- Jesus (1)
- Listening (2)
- Love (1)
- Mercy (1)
- News (1)
- Parable (1)
- Parables (1)
- Paul (2)
- Personal Reflection (3)
- Police Chaplain (2)
- Romans (2)
- Scripture (3)
- Sheep (1)
- Thanksgiving (1)
- The Way (1)
- Trauma (1)
Archives by date
- July 2026 (1)
- June 2026 (1)
- April 2026 (1)
- November 2025 (2)
- September 2025 (1)
- June 2025 (1)
- May 2025 (2)
- April 2025 (1)
-
Belong, Behave, Believe
The Sequence of Church Growth Christian Theologian Diana Butler Bass’ book: ‘‘Christianity Before Religion” really impacted me. It is an penetrating look at the history of the early Christian Church. She observed that the original draw for the first crowds who gathered listening to this itinerant Jewish preacher and healer was curiosity and amazement. His was a unique and compelling voice arguing for a new understanding of God and religion. Jesus was galvanizing, persuasive and spoke with an authority that penetrated the Jewish crowds. His evident powers to heal the sick and disabled deepened their fascination. This is all originally…
-
Romans 12
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” The apostle Paul is the great teacher of Christianity. More than any other individual who came to believe in Jesus, Paul had the capacity, the insight, and the depth of understanding to fully articulate how radical and eternal the event and the experience of Jesus was then and continues to be for us now. What is known about Paul, of course, is that he was a leading intellectual in the Jerusalem Temple community. He was an erudite member of the Sanhedrin and knew the…
-
Mercy and the Unforgiving Servant
Going forward, I am going to offer a weekly blog post on our new website. It will be centered around the scripture for our Sunday Gathering. This week we share a parable from the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 18:21-35) where Jesus calls his followers to show compassion and mercy. It’s the story of a king who wants to settle accounts with his servants. And he confronts one of them who owes him a great deal of money. But since he was not able to pay, the master, following the justice of the day, ordered that he and his wife and his children…
-
A Thanksgiving Message
Preparing for Thanksgiving When approaching the Scripture, we always ask two questions: What did it mean then and what does it mean now? This past Sunday we took a break from our reading of Paul’s Letter to the Romans. We read from his letter in Ephesians Chapter 4. But the theme here carries forward his blunt instructions for living a life according to the Gospel of Jesus. He calls out to all in his hearing reminding them of the fundamental values and instructions for living a life faithful to Jesus. He contrasts new life in Jesus to the wider popular…
-
A Reflection on Romans 8
When approaching the Scripture ask two questions: What did it mean then and what does it mean now? I am grateful for the content of yesterday’s scripture at The Gathering. We continued with Paul’s message in Romans 8 emphasizing our freedom from the law. The essence of the teaching is that we become perpetually distracted trying to follow the law and the activities that demand our constant attention. We lose focus on what matters, which is faith! It was a challenge for the people in Rome at the time and remains a central issue for us today. And I decided…
-
Dr. Will’s Teaching Sunday September 14th
Today’s scripture is Acts 9 the conversion of the Apostle Paul. It marks a significant beginning of the new Christian movement out into the surrounding world. The beginning of the ministry of Saul, now named Paul will spread the movement of the Gospel of Jesus out to the world. Paul becomes the principle power galvanizing the spread of the Gospel. It is the beginning of a new Kingdom with a clear agenda of faith hope and love. How are we doing these two thousand years later? The violence this past week is a stark and tragic reminder that we need…
-
The Good Shepherd: What I Learned About Sheep
Growing up on the East Coast, I naturally had very little exposure to agriculture. I knew it was a massive enterprise, but it seemed far removed from my world—first in Brooklyn, where I was born, and later on Long Island, where I lived. Farming was something that happened “out there,” in distant, rural places. I held a vague admiration for people who worked the land and tended livestock, but it remained a detached curiosity. That changed when I was asked to teach on the passage where Jesus calls himself “The Good Shepherd.” The phrase, of course, made sense to me…
-
Pope Leo
The exciting news in 2025 was the selection of a new Pope for the Catholic Church. The announcement surprised and galvanized the world. Robert Prevost is a Chicago native and a Cardinal with a long resume of international service to the church. He has strong scholarly achievements and a noted commitment to serving the poor and marginalized. And he promises to continue the legacy of his predecessor Pope Francis. He is a leader for our time and devoted to the Christian faith. Reading about his background I was taken aback by how I could relate to his early life. I…
-
Police Chaplain (Victim Advocate) Part Two
I was called to a “death scene” some months ago. I have done this many times for area departments. Each situation is unique but all are tragic and life altering. And my role is always the same. I am there as a victim advocate first and primarily for those present at the scene. There are typically witnesses, family members and neighbors, most in full-blown shock. So it’s imperative that I maintain a presence that is at once calming and normative. I can help the victims with information from the first responders on scene without interfering with their work. In some…
-
Chaplain & Victim Advocate
When you hear the term “chaplain” what comes to mind? I suspect it might be depictions in media. I think of Father Mulcahy in the television show “Mash” where he portrayed the role of a priest chaplain serving in a military unit. There is a long tradition of chaplains of all faiths serving in the military, even in areas of active combat. In addition, chaplains are common in law enforcement agencies, as well. Most police agencies, as well as fire departments, use hired or volunteer local clergy to fill the role. And what is this role anyway? It is often…
Browse tags
- Acts (1)
- belonging (1)
- Church (1)
- Current Events (1)
- Death (1)
- Distractions (1)
- Faith (1)
- First Responders (2)
- Forgiveness (2)
- Giving Thanks (1)
- Good Shepherd (1)
- Gospel of Matthew (1)
- Holidays (1)
- Jesus (1)
- Listening (2)
- Love (1)
- Mercy (1)
- News (1)
- Parable (1)
- Parables (1)
- Paul (2)
- Personal Reflection (3)
- Police Chaplain (2)
- Romans (2)
- Scripture (3)
- Sheep (1)
- Thanksgiving (1)
- The Way (1)
- Trauma (1)
Archives by date
- July 2026 (1)
- June 2026 (1)
- April 2026 (1)
- November 2025 (2)
- September 2025 (1)
- June 2025 (1)
- May 2025 (2)
- April 2025 (1)