Featured

Meet Luke, my son and my light…

Featured / Paul Burkhart / Leave a comment

Allow me to introduce you to my son, Luke Mahnke Burkhart. Tomorrow he is getting baptized, so naturally it got me reflecting on these past three amazing, joy-filled, life-changing months.

Yes, all the cliches hold true: he’s unlocked depths of love I did not know I had; I’ve had all manner of bodily fluids deposited on me with nary a care rising within me; so many things I thought were so important have faded (oh wait–there’s an election going on?).

But there’s more to this new experience than I’ve seen plastered across cards, mugs, baby books, and shirts. He’s embedded himself into my heart in a way that haunts and follows me through my day. He’s re-oriented my affections, intentions, sensitivities, and practices. He’s changed the way I see my wife, our home, and our life together.

Continue reading →

Babylon Falls; God’s People Come Out | Revelation 18.2–8

/ Paul Burkhart / Leave a comment

He called out with a mighty voice,
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
It has become a dwelling place of demons,
a haunt of every foul spirit,
a haunt of every foul bird,
a haunt of every foul and hateful beast.
For all the nations have fallen
from the wine of the wrath of her prostitution,
and the kings of the earth have engaged in sexual immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxury.”
—Revelation 18:2–3

Man, this really is a paradigm for every empire throughout history, including the US. There is something about power, politics, and empire that always shapes and corrupts nations in the same ways, always.

Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,
“Come out of her, my people,
so that you do not take part in her sins
and so that you do not share in her plagues,
for her sins are heaped high as heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities.
Render to her as she herself has rendered,
and repay her double for her deeds;
mix a double dose for her in the cup she mixed.
As she glorified herself and lived luxuriously,
so give her a like measure of torment and grief.
Since in her heart she says,
‘I rule as a queen;
I am no widow,
and I will never see grief,’
therefore her plagues will come in a single day—
pestilence and mourning and famine—
and she will be burned with fire,
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”
—Revelation 18:4–8

What a beautiful call for us to step out from the power of the empire and put it under OUR authority rather than vice versa.

I also love that this presumes that God’s people are deeply embedded in that nation and its fabric, even as they exist as “other” and maintain their peaceable separateness.

More: Marginalia on Revelation · Browse all Marginalia · Browse by Bible book

When Judgment Gives the Land Its Rest | Leviticus 26.34–35

/ Paul Burkhart / Leave a comment

“Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbath years as long as it lies desolate, while you are in the land of your enemies; then the land shall rest and enjoy its Sabbath years.
As long as it lies desolate, it shall have the rest it did not have on your Sabbaths when you were living on it.
—Leviticus 26:34–35

Ah! Here it is. No record of a jubilee year. Here, God wants to make up for it with the exile. Further, isn’t it interesting that judgment is expressed in terms of salvation for creation and the land? What if we conceived of it in those terms?

More: Marginalia on Leviticus · Browse all Marginalia · Browse by Bible book

Marginalia Weekly Round-Up | November 1–5, 2026

/ Paul Burkhart / Leave a comment

We begin Kingdomtide this week with the saints who have gone before us and the promise of a kingdom that is already breaking into the world.

Across a graveside, the edge of a pit, a frightened army, a rising mountain, and a voice calling from the tombs, Scripture keeps asking what it means to live toward a victory that has begun but is not yet complete.

Grieving Toward Resurrection | 1 Thessalonians 4:13–14

On All Saints’ Day, what exactly are we hoping for when we remember the dead?

A Mediator at the Edge of the Pit | Job 33:22–30

A descent toward death. An unexpected mediator. And a second observation that refuses to leave the first alone.

The War Cry Before Victory | 1 Samuel 17:20

The army keeps shouting. Nothing has changed on the battlefield—yet.

The Mountain Still Rising | Isaiah 2:2

One mountain, two horizons, and a question about when a promise becomes real.

Resurrection Is Also Judgment | John 5:25–29

Jesus places two words beside each other that we tend to keep apart.

From the Margins

Death as Home; Death as Gift | Esther 8.1

An older meditation on death after Christ’s victory meets Monday’s paired observations on the Pit, mediation, and restored life.

Elsewhere in the Archive

For All Saints’ Day: Our Son’s Baptism (And Yours)

A reflection on baptism, the communion of saints, and God’s promises across generations offers a companion to Sunday’s resurrection hope.

Resurrection Is Also Judgment | John 5.25–29

/ Paul Burkhart / Leave a comment

“Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself,
and he has given him authority to execute judgment because he is the Son of Man.
Do not be astonished at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice
and will come out: those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation.
—John 5:25–29

First, notice that everyone gets a resurrection. Even those that are considered not the people of God.

Second, notice in this whole passage the intricate and intimate relationship between resurrection and judgment. Christians are to see the resurrection with joy. But it also has a darker side. We are to see judgment as resurrection and resurrection as judgment.

I wonder how this would change how we view other gospel moments where Jesus mentions judgment. If we substituted resurrection for judgment in those sentences, how would it change how we relate to that concept?

When Jesus talks about the severe judgment in store for those who do not believe in him, could he simply mean that they will face a resurrection before him?

More: Marginalia on John · Browse all Marginalia · Browse by Bible book

The Eschaton | A Kingdomtide Negroni

/ Paul Burkhart / Leave a comment

Recipe

  • 1.25 oz Apple Brandy
  • .75 oz Campari
  • .5 oz Rich Sweet Vermouth
  • .5 oz Pumpkin Spice Coffee Liqueur
  • .25 tsp Allspice Dram
  • Express Orange Peel
  • Garnish: Dehydrated Apple Wheel (Optional)

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir until thoroughly chilled and diluted. Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube. Express an orange peel over the top of the glass. Optionally, garnish with a dehydrated apple wheel.

* * * *

I love Kingdomtide (read more about it here). It concludes the Christian Year by focusing on the Kingdom of God, Christ’s reign over creation, what it means to live as citizens of that Kingdom, and its culmination at the end of all things (the Greek term for this age is eschaton). It’s a beautiful way to end the liturgical year.

Throughout Scripture, the harvest is a recurring image of the end of the age. So I wanted a Kingdomtide cocktail that tasted like autumn, with more going on beneath the surface. Something rich and celebratory, holding together the sweetness of harvest, the bitterness of judgment, and the warmth of a Kingdom gathering all things into its final fulfillment. And so we have the Eschaton, an autumnal Negroni variation.

The apple brandy provides the foundation. It evokes autumnal sweetness, but also brings to mind our original sin in Eden. This is joined by the bitterness of Campari, reminding us that the final harvest is also a moment of reckoning.

The rich sweet vermouth brings some balancing sweetness, but also recalls the wine at the great banquet at the consummation of God’s Kingdom. The pumpkin-spice coffee liqueur adds some darker flavors of autumn. Coffee’s cross-cultural force also makes this a fitting ingredient to celebrate Christ’s reign over all nations and peoples.

Lastly, there’s a small amount of allspice dram. Allspice is actually a single spice, but one that brings together many, many flavors into one.

The resulting drink is rich, bittersweet, and well-balanced. The apple and Campari provide a bright, fruity bitterness up front, while the coffee and sweet vermouth lend a darker, deeper character. The allspice brings brings a slight Fall spice and complexity, tying everything together.

Kingdomtide refuses to let us think of the end as merely an ending. The Christian hope is not that God will abandon this world, but that He who created it, entered into it, and redeemed it through Christ finally will bring that work to completion.

That’s the hope of the eschaton. Not simply that all things will end, but that all things will finally become what God intends them to be.

And I think that’s worth raising a glass to.

Continue reading →

The Mountain Still Rising | Isaiah 2.2

/ Paul Burkhart / Leave a comment

In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains
and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
—Isaiah 2:2

My question: is this day that is being referred to just fulfilled in Christ’s first coming or second coming? The Reformed view is at the second coming. The view I have resonated with is that this is being established in Christ’s first coming. It has been made the biggest mountain. Or rather, the foundation of it has been established and it is ever growing in this world. Once it is the biggest mountain in the world, then Christ will return and it will be done.

For more on this theme, read: Advent & Politics: The Government Is on His Shoulders.

More: Marginalia on Isaiah · Browse all Marginalia · Browse by Bible book

The War Cry Before Victory | 1 Samuel 17.20

/ Paul Burkhart / Leave a comment

David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the provisions, and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampment as the army was going forth to the battle line, shouting the war cry.
—1 Samuel 17:20 (NRSVUE; full passage)

I wonder what a war cry sounded like back then? And either way, it’s interesting that the last note we heard about them was dismay and fear, and yet every day they’re still going out and putting forth the war cry. I suppose in a sense that is what they were doing through the Psalms while in exile, and what we do in worship services each week.

Even as the enemy taunts us and haunts us, we come out regularly and offer our war cries against its siren song, acting as if its victory is not sure even though our salvation and deliverer has not yet arrived or fully accomplished the deliverance we are anticipating.

Death and sin taunt us and cry out to us, and we cry out right back to it as if its victory is not sure. In fact, we act as if it has no actual teeth or power over us. Even as it deeply shakes us and scares us, we still put out the cosmic war cry against it as if the rules it has set are not in fact in place.

Though it has said “this is how we are going to fight and divvy up victory and defeat”, we largely ignore that and still rally our troops and put out the war cry as if new rules of engagement are at play, and our enemy does not get the final word.

More: Marginalia on 1 Samuel · Browse all Marginalia · Browse by Bible book

A Mediator at the Edge of the Pit | Job 33.22–30

/ Paul Burkhart / Leave a comment

Their souls draw near the Pit
and their lives to those who bring death.
Then, if there should be for one of them an angel,
a mediator, one of a thousand,
one who declares a person upright,
and he is gracious to that person and says,
‘Deliver him from going down into the Pit;
I have found a ransom;
let his flesh become fresh with youth;
let him return to the days of his youthful vigor,’
then he prays to God and is accepted by him;
he comes into his presence with joy,
and God repays him for his righteousness.
That person sings to others and says,
‘I sinned and perverted what was right,
and it was not paid back to me.
He has redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit,
and my life shall see the light.’
—Job 33:22–28

This here is the entire Hebrew theology of salvation in just a few sentences. This is amazing. And it also points forward to Christ. The main theme of this book is not who suffers or why they suffer. It’s not even about how to suffer well. It is to say that that is the wrong question. The book declares that life itself will take you to the pit. You will feel the weight and sting of death. Whether God sends it or life does or our own sin does is not the point. Reality is that you will need a mediator. And further, this book presents this, not as Ecclesiastes does, as a lamentable and fearful thing, but rather as joyful good news. This book somehow has the audacity to declare that our need for a mediator is actually God’s love for us and is a reason to worship Him and humble ourselves.

“God indeed does all these things,
twice, three times, with mortals,
to bring back their souls from the Pit,
so that they may see the light of life.
—Job 33:29–30

Again, see the note on the previous verse. But again, this declares that we suffer and experience the pit because God wants us to know life. I would go on to say that it’s precisely in the pit that we experience life because God himself is there. The pit is woven into the fabric of God’s nature and character. Death finds its home in God. Or rather, death finds its life in God.

For more on this theme, read: Dearly Departed | A Cocktail for All Souls’ Day.

More: Marginalia on Job · Browse all Marginalia · Browse by Bible book

Grieving Toward Resurrection | 1 Thessalonians 4.13–14

/ Paul Burkhart / 1 Comment

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.
—1 Thessalonians 4:13–14

Our hope in death is not heaven, but Christ’s resurrection. That is our hope, and without that there is no other hope that can truly sustain. Christian lament and mourning are rooted in Christ and His resurrection, even as they experience the full range and depth of human emotion.

For more on this theme, read: My Grandfather’s Passing (Hope in Death?).

More: Marginalia on 1 Thessalonians · Browse all Marginalia · Browse by Bible book

Marginalia Weekly Round-Up | October 25–29, 2026

/ Paul Burkhart / Leave a comment

Sometimes Scripture challenges our assumptions with an elaborate story or an unsettling command. Other times, it’s a single sentence, a strangely worded question, or a familiar verse that suddenly feels different when we notice its surroundings.

This week’s Marginalia moves between humor, trust, doubt, and some uncomfortable questions about how we read the Bible.

The Faith of an Unplanted Field | Leviticus 25:19–22

What happens when trusting God means leaving an entire field alone?

Purple Curtains and Golden Goblets | Esther 1:6–7

Gold couches. Purple curtains. A royal banquet described with almost suspicious enthusiasm.

A Hilarious Reason Not to Gloat | Proverbs 24:17–18

Apparently, there are consequences to enjoying your enemy’s misfortune that you might not have anticipated.

The Same Question, a Different Response | Luke 1:34

Two people question an angel. One small difference—or perhaps something much deeper.

A Beloved Verse in an Uncomfortable Place | 1 Peter 2:24–25

Sometimes the hardest part of reading Scripture is discovering what surrounds the verses we love.

From the Margins

Male Headship & Societal Injustice | Esther 1:17–22

Monday’s observation notices the lavish literary portrayal of Persian royal power. This older Marginalia follows the opening scene into the king’s response to Vashti and the consequences of his court’s authority.

Elsewhere in the Archive

An Open Response to Some Atheist Friends Regarding Slavery & Biblical Ethics (Part 1)

Thursday’s note confronts the unsettling context of a beloved verse in 1 Peter. This older essay explores the larger question of biblical texts that appear to accommodate practices Christians now condemn.

A Beloved Verse in an Uncomfortable Place | 1 Peter 2.24–25

/ Paul Burkhart / Leave a comment

He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
—1 Peter 2:24–25

Wow. I never noticed that this verse that’s been so precious to me for so long is actually the concluding argument of this support for slavery and for slaves staying with masters even when they are evil. Shit.

For more on this theme, read: An Open Response to Some Atheist Friends Regarding Slavery & Biblical Ethics (Part 1).

More: Marginalia on 1 Peter · Browse all Marginalia · Browse by Bible book

The Same Question, a Different Response | Luke 1.34

/ Paul Burkhart / Leave a comment

Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
—Luke 1:34

What?! She expresses the very same question as Zechariah. Doubt is more than skin or word deep. There is a kind of doubting that takes you further away from God, and a type of doubting that draws you closer and draws God’s favor.

For more on this theme, read: Mary: Ordained as Prophetess, Priestess, & Queen.

More: Marginalia on Luke · Browse all Marginalia · Browse by Bible book

A Hilarious Reason Not to Gloat | Proverbs 24.17–18

/ Paul Burkhart / Leave a comment

Do not rejoice when your enemies fall, and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble, lest the Lord see it and be displeased and turn away his anger from them.
—Proverbs 24:17–18

The logic of this is hilarious. Don’t be too happy when your enemies are being punished, or else God will stop punishing them! Maybe this is talking about justice? Or maybe it is the idea that the punishment of the wicked is in response to the suffering of the righteous, and so if you become happy when they are being punished, your suffering is therefore not continuing and there is no longer a need for the wicked to be punished? I don’t know. I am stretching a little.

More: Marginalia on Proverbs · Browse all Marginalia · Browse by Bible book

Purple Curtains and Golden Goblets | Esther 1.6–7

/ Paul Burkhart / Leave a comment

There were white cotton curtains and blue hangings tied with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and colored stones. Drinks were served in golden goblets, goblets of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king.
—Esther 1:6–7

Good gracious, this introduction and these descriptions are so embellished, detailed, and over the top, that this sounds a whole lot more like a story, or a composed piece of literature, far more than an historical account.

More: Marginalia on Esther · Browse all Marginalia · Browse by Bible book