These readings explore love and power, human and divine and, demonstrate how love and power can be a terrible combination on this side of heaven. Along the way, Ahinoam, Merab and Michal, a mother and her daughters are named. The daughters will have parts to play dictated by the men in their lives. The mother’s...... Read More

What’s A Sista Got to Do? What’s a sista got to do to be respected in these androcentric man-besotted religious streets? Spontaneously reproduce without pleasure or pain (according to some traditions), never have sex (according to some), get bodily snatched up into heaven and avoid death (another tradition)? What on earth, in and under heaven...... Read More

Public confession: I don’t get the sense that I have a congregation of folk waiting on these reflections which permits me to be irregular with them unlike if I were preaching every Sunday. If you are looking forward to them, let me know and I’ll do better. I’ll try to do better anyway but it’ll...... Read More

In these lessons monarchy represents absolute power, whether it is the power of God over all or, the power of some man over a place and a people until someone, likely another man, takes his place. Literarily, Saul is a negative foil for David. That leaves him as doomed to fail and unforgiven when repentant....... Read More

The story behind this week’s first lesson is that God seems to have allowed herself to have reluctantly permitted Israel a king in spite of her own good judgment and, the objections of her prophet Samuel. It is one of the ironies of scripture and its interpretation that Samuel, person and the books that bear...... Read More

These readings offer thinly veiled critiques of monarchy, particularly suitable in an era where women are treated like chattel subjects dependent upon the whims of a despotic theocratic ruling class. Samuel is, surprisingly to many readers, anti-monarchy. He lists all that a king will take from the people and how they will find themselves enslaved...... Read More

“Preach Woman! Preach!” is the call and response of womanpreach.org, a theological educational community that trains and nurtures preachers in programs and cohorts for black women, persons of all genders, men and, all persons to authentically proclaim a justice-centered faith-full Word in partnerships with fully accredited seminaries and universities. In my sanctified imagination, I hear...... Read More

It wasn’t always like this… It was better when… The previous generation… In those days… Once upon a time… Much of the impetus for the production of scripture was looking back like the Sankofa bird. Looking back to songs and stories that have been passed down. But, not staying in the past. Looking to the...... Read More

The First Lesson reveals the unchanging consequences of war, women and children left to pick up the pieces after the slaughter ceases. We see that in stark fashion during the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine where those women and children who can, flee, while all men of war-fighting age are required to stay behind and join...... Read More

On this Sunday closest to America’s national holiday, the readings focus on lust, greed and power. A useful reminder that the American experiment is not an innocent endeavor. The pursuit of freedom included black troops and martyrs like Crispus Attucks but the legislated endowment of freedom allowed for and protected the enslavement of Africans, disenfranchisement...... Read More