In John’s Gospel we hear the story of Jesus raising Lazarus, a good friend, who had been dead four days. The story is meant to convey not only the power of Jesus over death but also give the reader a hint of Jesus’ own Resurrection. “I am the resurrection and the life,” Jesus said but …
Another well-known Gospel story from the Gospel of John, namely Jesus’ healing of the blind man at the pool of Siloam. The story is long but basic: Jesus encounters a blind man and heals him; he is brought before the Jewish officials who are confounded by the cure (and on the Sabbath), interrogate the man …
Today is the United Nations World Water Day and the emphasis this year is on wastewater. Certainly an unglamorous topic and one we may prefer not to think about; after all, isn’t that why they put handles on our toilets? You press them and the problem goes away. This is not the case, though, for …
This Sunday’s Gospel reading from the Gospel of John is the story of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. A beautiful story which can be read from many different perspectives; this is part of the richness of most Gospel stories. I once knew a theology professor who interpreted John’s Gospel as an …
Today’s Gospel reading recounts the Transfiguration, which biblical scholars say is probably a post-Easter incident, when Jesus reveals his full divine glory to Peter, James and John. Why do we hear a story about this event during Lent? If you think about it, Lent, as well as Christian life, is about transfiguration- allowing God’s grace …
We have begun our Lenten journey and the Gospel readings tell us the story of Jesus’ temptation by Satan when in the desert. It sounds dramatic, almost like a Hollywood movie, and remote to our daily 21st Century lives! Most of us live in large cities when we have little or no contact with nature, …
Lent begins today and the Gospel reading from the Gospel of Matthew warns us three times about the danger of hypocrisy (in acts of charity, praying and fasting). Funny isn’t it? Many of us will go to church today and receive ashes on our foreheads which we wear throughout the day in a very public …
How do we figure out what we are being called to do with our lives? For doctors who have ever considered the long-term service options with Mission Doctors there is a no obligation discernment weekend in April, and we would like to extend you an invitation! In our most recent newsletter we added …
The level of medical care that can be provided in resource-limited parts of the world is often amazing. The world is filled with women who delivered their babies by the light of a kerosene lamp in a village clinic and with children whose lives were saved from malaria in remote health care facilities without running …
As we honor the memory of this great man, Martin Luther King, Jr. with a day of service, this quote speaks to me about the service of our Mission Doctors. Next week a family who have served first as a young family in Papua New Guinea with their young children, more than 20 years …