At our downtown ministry this week, I watched a precious soul rock an invisible baby while “Away in a Manger” was being sung and I was overwhelmed by the values of God and his preference for the poor. It is completely antithetical to our human nature to seek after and invest in the hidden places where the poorest of the
“The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” We all have something in each list. Tonight, I want to remind you that life is a complex mixture of all three kinds of experiences…good to celebrate, bad to grieve, and ugly to heal.
The word became flesh and lived among us.
The King of all creation was born as a lowly, disregarded nobody-baby. In part, that was because Mary and Joseph were nobodies. Joseph was a craftsman from the small town of Nazareth in Galilee. Mary was a young woman with an apparently questionable character. Still, they were the nobodies God wanted to use, and that was a surprise.
God creates. God redeems. Christian faith is deepened and enriched when we get the order right. This is especially true in the arena of evangelism, where our focus is often on individuals and our fervent hope that they might come into relationship with Jesus Christ. There is no doubt this is an extremely important focus. Yet something significant is lost
“The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win.” – Everyone from Vince Lombardi to Bear Bryant to Bobby Knight is cited as the source of this quote. The wisdom found in it has outlasted the origin. Everyone wants to win. It doesn’t matter how you define winning – career success, relationship goals met,
Maybe as we proclaim the good news that will bring great joy to all people, we ought also to recall the words of our Prince of Peace, who told us that God blesses peacemakers. Maybe in this season of peace and beyond, we need to ask how might we become more active in our peacemaking?
Word and deed come together, as intimately entwined as breathing in and breathing out. Deciding which is more important depends on which you did last.
I have a delicious no-fail sourdough bread recipe! It involves a three-step process spread over one and a half days. The key to the recipe is to give the bread dough time to “yeast” – Sue Monk Kidd’s word for allowing bread to rise. Kidd tells of making the bread with the assistance of her five year old daughter, Ann.
Waiting is hard. Many of us are tempted either to wait passively, like the foolish bridesmaids, or to take over and attempt to save ourselves by our own effort. Advent challenges both our complacency and our self-sufficiency.
In my last article I made the claim that Methodists have a distinct style. As Christians, our style defines us as much, maybe more, than anything else. I have the privilege of observing that more than most. My wife and I live in a life cafe. We have lived here for seven years, and plan to make this our “earthly
Circumstances sometimes call us to do strange things – things we would not otherwise do. Circumstances also cause us to do things we should have done but never got around to before. Two out-of-town visitors were walking along a street in New York City late one night. One of the pair, wary of the reputation of city streets at night,
As I type, I’m sitting (tray table down) on my American flight from Miami to Chicago. I thought maybe I’d rest. With a very long layover in Chicago I thought I’d rest now and work later. (There’s so much work to do.) But as I closed my eyes, and adjusted my headrest, I was overwhelmed. I tried not to weep.
My files are flowing over with magazine and newspaper articles, cartoons, and photos. Unfortunately, I have not found a good “keeping” and “retrieval” system that is not too time costly for the reflections I prize. Yet, I saw it and I can’t forget it…a cartoon that depicted an older couple, obviously rich and retired, sitting in their posh living room.
I am often fascinated with stories of people who unknowingly purchase rare and valuable items at a second-hand sale. A small bowl bought for just $35 at a sale in the US State of Connecticut has turned out to be a rare 15th-Century Chinese artefact from the Ming Dynasty. It was one of only seven such bowls ever made and
What? Count it all joy? After a brief greeting, James begins his Epistle, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.” James 1:2 KJV There is no hesitation, no fumbling to get to the point. It’s really a shout, COUNT IT ALL JOY! He continues, “when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing
I have the terrifying privilege of being the father of three girls. Working to understand them and their worlds has been the adventure of a lifetime. That’s because on top of being a guy, I grew up in a male dominated household, in another country to boot. It was three men (me, my brother, and my dad) and one brave
A definition of personal discernment is “sensing and following divine guidance.” Of course, it is essential to know that the guidance is from God and not just an echo of yesterday’s podcast. How can we “hear God” in a practical kind of way? Well, I “tripped” into that hearing — if you can call it “hearing.” “Attending to God’s leading”
How could I even consider just briefly nodding my mind at the incarnation with the one article I trust you received, The Scandal of the Incarnation. So, here is more since this is Christianity’s unique and central claim: the Incarnation, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:14 Our nearest English equivalent to the Greek term that
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good
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