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Capital Campaign

| The Commons

Preacher to keyboardist/organist: “When I am finished with my sermon this morning, I’ll ask those who want to contribute to our capital campaign to stand. In the meantime you play appropriate music.” Organist/keyboardist: “What appropriate music?” Preacher: “How about...

Divers Diseases

| The Commons

Two small-town brothers were walking home from Sunday-school and discussing the lesson where the teacher had talked about Jesus’ healing of “divers diseases” in Luke (4:40): “ all that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on...

Hanging On

| The Commons

A child had been cautioned never to touch a vase on the mantel, a rare and priceless heirloom. One day he found himself tall enough to reach it, so he pulled it down and got his hand caught inside. The aghast parents applied soap suds and cooking oil with no…...

An Imperial Message

| The Commons

Frank Kafka (1883-1924) is one of the most important literary figures of the 20th century. In his parable called “An Imperial Message,” he asks the reader to imagine that the emperor of your country is dying. He has an earth-shaking message to leave before he dies,...

The Wood of the Cross

| The Commons

During Lenten matins (morning prayer) in Eastern Orthodox churches, one prayer reads: “Let us venerate the Cross of the Lord, offering our tender affection as the cypress, the sweet fragrance of our faith as the cedar, and our sincere love as the pine; and let us...