Whatever is foreseen in joy / Must be lived out from day to day. / Vision held open in the dark / By our ten thousand days of work. / Harvest will fill the barn; for that / The hand must ache, the face must sweat. And yet no leaf or grain is filled / By work of ours; the field is tilled / And left to grace. That we may reap, / Great work is done while we’re asleep. / When we work well, a Sabbath mood / Rests... Read more
The introductory post to this blog series is available here. The highlights from Bass’ three lectures are available here, here, and here. Borg’s first two lectures are here and here. My musings on the lectures are in brackets. Marcus Borg’s third and final lecture was titled: Reclaiming Christian Language: Compassion and Justice (more…) Read more
Diana Butler Bass helped popularize the term “Great Command Christianity,” and I’m on record as agreeing with her about how central Jesus’ “Greatest Commandments” should be for progressive Christians. When asked, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus could have selected from the Torah any of the commandments. He could have chosen one the passages that have been used to justify patriarchy, xenophobia, or violence; but he chose the commandment in Deuteronomy 6:5 that, “You shall love the Lord... Read more
The introductory post to this blog series is available here. The highlights from Bass’ first two lectures are available here and here. Borg’s first two lectures are here and here. My musings on the lectures are in brackets. Diana Butler Bass’ third and final lecture in the series was titled, Great Awakening: Opening Our Eyes: Who We Are, What We Can Do, and How Everything Can Change (more…) Read more
The introductory post to this blog series is available here. The highlights from Bass’ first two lectures are available here and here. Borg’s first lecture is here. My musings on the lectures are in brackets. Borg’s second lecture was titled, “Case Study: Salvation (and its siblings: ‘Saved’ and ‘Savior’).” (more…) Read more
What would Christianity look like if the focus were Original Blessing, not Original Sin; Creation Spirituality, not the Fall/Redemption story; and social justice, not individual perfectionism? How do we do theology in the twenty-first century that accounts for scientific insights in general and the 13.7 billion-year-old “Universe Story” in particular? There is in all visible things an invisible fecundity, a dimmed light, a meek namelessness, a hidden wholeness. This mysterious Unity and Integrity is Wisdom, the Mother of all, Natura naturans [“nature naturing” or “nature doing what... Read more
The introductory post to this blog series is available here. The highlights from Bass’ first lecture are available here and Borg’s here. My musings on the lectures are in brackets. Diana Butler Bass’ second lecture (of three total lectures) was titled, “Faith: From Convention to Experience.” [This title reminds me of James Fowler’s important work on Stages of Faith, particularly the shift from Stage 3, “Conventional” faith to Stage 4, “Individuative-Reflective” faith. For more, see my post on “Everything Is Holy Now.”]... Read more
The introductory post to this blog series is available here. The highlights from Diana Butler Bass’ first lecture are available here. My musings on the lectures are in brackets. Marcus Borg’s first lecture (of three total lectures) was on “Reclaiming Christian Language.” He began by reminding us that his work is done in the hope of inspiring “adult theological re-education.” (more…) Read more
How should progressive Christians approach Advent in light of twenty-first century knowledge? The following are four meditations based on the Annunciation account in Luke 1: (1) “Magnificat! Learning to Sing Mary’s Song” – An excerpt: How are you being called to sing new lyrics to Mary’s Song — of hope and peace and joy and love — this Christmas and in the new year so that your soul may ever more fully magnify God?” (2) “A Performance of Those Things Which Were... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In
Magnificat! Learning to Sing Mary’s Song (A Progressive Christian Lectionary Commentary on Luke 1:46-55)
I love that the Revised Common Lectionary includes the Magnificat as the alternative Psalm reading for the third Sunday of Advent. Mary was bold to sing about God, “You have brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly / You have filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.” And this Advent season, I invite to consider, “How is God calling you to sing new lyrics to Mary’s song?” How are hope, peace, joy,... Read more