Quotes from Fleming Rutledge

If you and I are resting or shirking or slacking, his Spirit is nevertheless on the move with somebody else somewhere else, for "behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep" (Ps. 121:4). God is always accomplishing his purposes.

The mercy of God does not depend on human virtue for its fulfillment.

Only those who are forgiven and who are willing to forgive will be capable of relentlessly pursuing justice without falling into the temptations to pervert it into injustice" (Exclusion and Embrace, 123).

Gross injustice demonstrates a basic premise: in our world, something is terribly wrong and cries out to be put right.

Although people feel blessed in the presence of a holy man who wants the world to be right and people to be happy, the holy man cannot make that happen.

When are we closest to God? When we see ourselves as we really are.

If some of those who listen to our sermons reject the message, that is not our worry - as long as it is truly the kerygma that we preach, and not some feeble imitation of it. Rejection is built into the vocation of the preacher. But hear this: The incarnate Word of God is a mighty sword put into your hand. Those who hear it will feel their chains cut off, their prison unlocked, their lungs filled with oxygen: