Touchpoints on The Church Year
The Unresolved Mystery
“Today the toxicity of religion and politics says we did not awaken. Has not even a global pandemic taught us that love is more powerful than hate? The world had a chance to create urban contemplatives that would henceforth serve marginalized communities without caveat.”
The Choice
Luke 19:28-40 After telling a parable to the crowd at Jericho, Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying…
Dinner Party
John 12:1-8 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the…
Prodigal Sons
From now on, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat
you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
I am Because I am
Exodus 3:3-15New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness and came to Mount Horeb,[a] the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight and see why the bush is…
Kingdom of Foxes and Hens
Luke 13: 31 – 35 “At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.”He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside…
God in a Box Seat
“Many of our days are spent worrying about what other people think and do. It’s natural for us to want to control the narrative. At the same time, we seek affirmation and validation for our feelings, opinions, and work. Naturally, this desire to be heard and seen seeps into spiritual piety. Peterson translates this public piety by asking, “You think God is sitting in a box seat?” Ouch! I often give God the best seat in my house for my egoistic performances.”
Magic, Miracles or Mystery?
“The unconditional presence of Spirit midwifed my own inner birth. The One who awakens me in the mornings of my distress with the anointing of compassion. In me, the power of pride is brought down and my soul is grateful.”
The Good Bad News
“Am I more disturbed that John’s words predict a God of love cutting fruitless trees down and burning them then the suffering of those around me? What weighs heavier on me, the threat to my theology concerning John’s image of a punishing God, or those mentioned who are cold and hungry?”
Making Way for The Way
“John’s cry for repentance was to prepare the way of the heart for a change in direction. To clear the way of old ways. He wasn’t yelling the repentance that says “Hey everyone, stop sinning, Jesus is coming and boy is he pissed!”, or “Just look busy!” He said prepare the way for the real deal. The way beyond all ways. It’s not a hack to make your life easier. It is a way of peace amid all the other hacks wanting to have their way. A compassionate voice crying in the wilderness of our hearts. A voice of anticipation. The voice that says create space for a new beginning.”
Dem Bones
“‘Do you see just dry bones? Or something more? Do you see the potential for new life? Or simply the wreckage of history? Do you see the bones coming together in a new way? Do you see the breath of Spirit in them? What is it you see, when you look at this world that seems only full of dry bones?’ Where I so often think I am looking at a world of dry bones, they were able to see a place of life-giving Spirit. Where I so often think I am looking at a world of dry bones, they were seeing a place that God has already put the Spirit within, and is alive.”
Untying the Colt of Peace
“Perhaps this was why Jesus told his apprentices to take nothing with them. They would need the help of others… places to sleep and food to eat. The needing, and serving those needs, would unify people along the way. They would not have tools of transaction or the temptation to respond to people with weapons. He was teaching them to ride in on a donkey of peace and the power of humility as well as action. Sharing and valuing others, asking for assistance, instead of seeing others as a threat, was the biggest blow to political and religious displays of might.”