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When the church solidified what was in the Bible, they included 4 accounts of Jesus’ life. The four gospels had some similar stories and some widely divergent ones. But the church leaders were loathe to choose only one, recognizing that each had something important to say. I think they hoped that the legacy they would leave to us was a larger picture of the truth without getting bogged down in the exact details.

A Resurrection People
You may be surprised that I chose this passage from Paul’s letter to the Romans from today’s lectionary readings. Paul is not the most sympathetic character in the New Testament, and he often gets a bad rap in progressive theology circles. But I have gained some sympathy for Paul over the years, and I think that some of his writings are worth redeeming. Particularly in this case, where I happen to agree with the point he is trying to make.

There is an old joke, so old that I have not seen it in a round of e-mails that I can remember. It goes like this:
There are only two things to worry about. Either you are healthy or you are sick. If you are healthy, there is nothing to worry about. If you are sick, there are only two things to worry about. Either you will get better or you’ll die. If you get better, there is nothing to worry about. If you die, there are only two things to worry about. Either you will go to heaven or go to hell. If you go to heaven, there is nothing to worry about. And if you go to hell, you’ll be having such a good time with all of your friends that there will be nothing to worry about.